"Grace of character" : the gentleman in Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Juanita Florence Lewis (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- William G. Lane
Abstract: In An Autobiography Trollope writes that the Palliser novels portray "a perfect gentleman": what kind of man he is, how he thinks of himself in relation to others, and what kinds of values determine his conduct. It is generally accepted that the gentleman is important in all of Trollope’s fiction, but little attention has been given to how Trollope uses the term gentleman or what it means in different contexts in the novels. Trollope's idea of the gentleman is derived from a cultural tradition that blends classical influences; the medieval knight's code of chivalry, honor, and loyalty; and the tradition of the courtier. Trollope's literary treatment of the gentleman is influenced by the early Victorian reaction to the dandy and by the novels of Jane Austen and Thackeray. Courtship and marriage is a major theme in the novels because it allows Trollope to explore a character's fundamental values and the extent to which a character balances the claims of self with social and moral duties to others.
"Grace of character" : the gentleman in Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels
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Created on 1/1/1986
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 1986
- Subjects
- Trollope, Anthony, $d 1815-1882 $x Criticism and interpretation
- Trollope, Anthony, $d 1815-1882 $x Characters $x Men