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A review by elisabethl
Phineas finn by Anthony Trollope
4.0
Here is the benefit of reading the books in order (which is my goal this year): you can see how the themes and even plot lines of "Can You Forgive Her" are recycled in this book -- only this time the Mr Gray/Mr Palliser character is Mr Kennedy and in this version he is not allowed to break free from his vision of the world like Mr Palliser does or to woo his chosen partner to his side as Mr Gray does. Instead, Mr Kennedy becomes the dry and unlovely illustration of the failures of the British marriage laws. This is most striking in that Trollope does not portray Kennedy as evil or even cruel, just unimaginative and utterly fixed in his view.
Similarly, Phineas Finn is the very positive revision of George Vavasor, who sees going into parliament as the way to power and internal satisfaction. Phineas, unlike George, keeps debt free and keeps free from all sorts of other degradations, all the while doing useful work.
Very interesting to reread though sometimes a little heavy going through the political back and forth-ing (which I still see is vital to the other points Trollope makes about the nature of the British political system).
Similarly, Phineas Finn is the very positive revision of George Vavasor, who sees going into parliament as the way to power and internal satisfaction. Phineas, unlike George, keeps debt free and keeps free from all sorts of other degradations, all the while doing useful work.
Very interesting to reread though sometimes a little heavy going through the political back and forth-ing (which I still see is vital to the other points Trollope makes about the nature of the British political system).