The May prompt is about the literary movement. The classic I read in May was Lady Anna, by Anthony Trollope.
What literary movement is the prose or poetry you're reading from?
Trollope is considered one of the Victorian authors. After reading about all the literary movements, I would say he was part of the realism movement. It spanned from 1830–1900, and his novels were written in this time period.
What
are the values or ideals of the movement? Name other writers of the
movement.
Novels belonging to this movement are novels that focus on ordinary, day-to-day things. They portray "normal" lives and activities. Other authors belonging to this movement are Charles Dickens and George Eliot.
I was surprised to find that someone had read that little-known book. I think Anthony Trollope, even though he wrote for money, is underrated - almost every character he wrote is believable, though not profound. He doesn't idealise women (they tend to be fickle in matters of the heart) which is a far cry from many novelists' heroines. Even George Eliot, far deeper and more profound, hadn't his gift for character, though I must say I prefer her intense thoughts. But compared to his contemporaries, Trollope was advanced in the realism movement and ahead of his time. It probably sounds blasphemous but I can't help preferring his realism to 20th century realism.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! I agree - Trollope is definitely underrated. Great comment!
DeleteIn his autobiography, Trollope quotes someone saying that his novels are like a "lump out of the earth ... under a glass case, with all its inhabitants going about their daily business" - and I think that's a wonderfully apt description! I have Lady Anna on my TBR stack but haven't read it yet.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great quote! Thanks for sharing!
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