Barchester Towers

The intrigues of peaceful Barchester are of tremendous importance to its inhabitants, and Anthony Trollope enjoys observing how differently they impinge on the separate worlds of men and women. Men have to make a place for themselves in society; for them ambition is necessary and justified. Women, on the other hand, have to make marriage their career, and it is up to them to make as good a match as possible. For Trollope, however, genuine love is of the utmost importance to everyone, and the only real basis for marriage.