Exploring Anthony Trollope discussion

Published in 1869, this novel describes the failure of a marriage caused by the unreasonable jealousy of a husband vexed by the stubbornness of a willful wife. Throughout the novel Trollope makes allusions to Shakespeare's Othello, to tie in with the theme of jealous husbands and the calamities that could follow. Trollope viewed this work as a failure, believing the main character was unsympathetic, whilst preferring the secondary characters and plots.

I think this might be Trollope's longest work. I think I, too, preferred the secondary characters and plots.

My review.

This is the way I felt when I finished The Way We Live Now. The story revolves around a most unsympathetic character, of whom I wanted to know nothing, but the secondary characters kept me engaged to the end. Your comment made me wonder if Trollope uses this device often.

I think many of his primary characters have flaws - would we read otherwise? But, as the intro from the Delphi Classics editions says above, even Trollope didn't especially care for this because his main male character was so completely unlikeable.

I am reading this, for the first time, now. It is actually quite enthralling following Louis's slow descent into madness. This novel really does have much in common with Emile Zola's novel, Madeleine Ferat (1868). I would agree that the secondary characters are quite fascinating in their own right. Also, I simply have to say that Colonel Osborne is a swine!