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When it appeared in 1874, Lady Anna met with little success, and positively outraged the conservative - `This is the sort of thing the reading public will never stand...a man must be embittered by some violent present exasperation who can like such disruptions of social order as this.' (Saturday Review) - although Trollope himself considered it `the best novel I ever wrote! Very much! Quite far away above all others!!!' This tightly constructed and passionate study of enforced marriage in the world of Radical politics and social inequality, records the lifelong attempt of Countess Lovel to justify her claim to her title, and her daughter Anna's legitimacy, after her husband announces that he already has a wife. However, mother and daughter are driven apart when Anna defies her mother's wish that she marry her cousin, heir to her father's title, and falls in love with journeyman tailor and young Radical Daniel Thwaite. The outcome is never in doubt, but Trollope's ambivalence on the question is profound, and the novel both intense and powerful.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
The central conflict ignites when Lady Anna, caught between her mother's rigid social expectations and her own heart, defies the aristocratic status quo to pursue a relationship with a man beneath her station. Countess Lovel, desperate to secure her daughter's legitimacy and title, demands that Anna marry her cousin to preserve their social standing. However, Anna rejects this path, choosing instead to align herself with Daniel Thwaite, a journeyman tailor and vocal Radical. The narrative explores the friction between Victorian class hierarchies and individual autonomy, unfolding through a third-person perspective that examines the psychological toll of social pressure on the protagonists.
Readers and critics often note that this work represents a departure from the author's more conventional social comedies. Discussion frequently centers on the intense, almost polarizing nature of the central romance, which challenged the conservative sensibilities of the nineteenth-century reading public. Many observers highlight the author's own high regard for the text, contrasting it with the lukewarm reception it received upon its initial publication. The narrative is praised for its refusal to provide easy answers, instead forcing the reader to confront the profound ambivalence inherent in the characters' choices. Ultimately, the book remains a subject of interest for those examining the intersection of personal desire and rigid societal structures.
Page Count:
517
Publication Date:
2009-08-03
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0199537712
ISBN-13:
9780199537716