Robert M. Polhemus

Explore the transformative world of Anthony Trollope through Robert M. Polhemus's seminal study, The Changing World of Anthony Trollope. This work delves deep into Trollope’s mastery as a chronicler of societal shifts and individual moral dilemmas. Polhemus intricately examines Trollope's best and most representative novels, such as the Barset and Palliser series, revealing the nuanced interplay between personal growth and historical currents. From the humor and poignancy of his characters to his exploration of the evolving Victorian mindset, Trollope emerges as both a mirror of his age and a commentator on the timeless challenges of adaptation and conscience. With a focus on Trollope’s unique ability to weave history, humor, and human emotion, Polhemus sheds light on the novelist's enduring relevance. Highlighting Trollope's celebration of the ordinary as extraordinary, the book captures his exploration of middle-class virtues and the often-overlooked complexities of everyday life. A must-read for lovers of Victorian literature, The Changing World of Anthony Trollope offers a fresh perspective on a literary giant whose works continue to resonate with modern audiences. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1968.

Explore the transformative world of Anthony Trollope through Robert M. Polhemus's seminal study, The Changing World of Anthony Trollope. This work delves deep into Trollope’s mastery as a chronicler of societal shifts and individual moral dilemmas. Polhemus intricately examines Trollope's best and most representative novels, such as the Barset and Palliser series, revealing the nuanced interplay between personal growth and historical currents. From the humor and poignancy of his characters to his exploration of the evolving Victorian mindset, Trollope emerges as both a mirror of his age and a commentator on the timeless challenges of adaptation and conscience. With a focus on Trollope’s unique ability to weave history, humor, and human emotion, Polhemus sheds light on the novelist's enduring relevance. Highlighting Trollope's celebration of the ordinary as extraordinary, the book captures his exploration of middle-class virtues and the often-overlooked complexities of everyday life. A must-read for lovers of Victorian literature, The Changing World of Anthony Trollope offers a fresh perspective on a literary giant whose works continue to resonate with modern audiences. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1968.

An incisive and provocative work on male-female relationships explores the complex relationship of fathers and daughters and of older men and younger females in history, life, art, and culture.

"Polhemus sketches several distinctions between nineteenth- and twentieth-century novelists and concludes that what most characterizes the nineteenth century, from the perspective of the twentieth, is the tendency in its comic fiction to criticize and to undermine the dogma and institutions of religion and to put faith instead of the existence of the comic perspective. Comic Faith is a virtuoso performance of impressive stature; I suspect the book will be influential for many years to come."—John Halperin, Modern Fiction Studies