[Vwoolf] 'a look of John Burrows'

[Harish Trivedi]

Well, yes, there is a little problem there! But VW's view of Trollope was a
bit more complicated than that perhaps.

Leslie Stephen, who had known Trollope, thought he looked like 'the ideal
beef-eater' who could bring the roof down with his boisterous laughter. VW
read *Barchester Towers* early, in 1897. She later wrote: 'We believe in
Barchester as we believe in the reality of our own weekly bills.'  But that
wasn't of course a compliment; just for that reason, his 'two and thirty
chapters' never took off. Must novels be like this, she seemed to have
asked of just such novels.

But then, there's also a surprisingly positive assessment, even if as an
obiter dictum. She did say that *The Small House at Allington* and *Pride
and Prejudice* were 'those two perfect novels.' ('The Novels of George
Meredith,' 1928)  One wishes she had explained fully why she mentioned the
two in the same breath. The only hint we seem to have is that 'perfect'
though those two novels may have been in their own way, Meredith was to be
lauded for breaking away from that mould of perfection. 'English fiction
had to escape from the dominon of that perfection...if fiction had remained
what it was to Jane Austen and Trollope, fiction would by this time be
dead.'

But then, again: 'How admirable it all is -- but not symbolized --
therefore peters out -- dribbles away.'  (Reading notes on The Small
House...)

So, it is a bit more complex than VW simply not liking Trollope.

Best wishes.
Harish Trivedi



On 8 January 2013 00:16, ANNE Fernald [Staff/Faculty [A&S]] <
fernald at fordham.edu> wrote:

> Good afternoon, Woolfians,
>
> I'm combing through the final bits and bobs of my edition of Mrs. Dalloway
> and I think I've found the source for "a look of John Burrows" (thanks to
> the Oxford database of all its reference books, as multiple other tries
> ended up blank):
>
> It turns out that in Trollope’s *The Vicar of Bullhampton* (1870), John
> Burrows is a notorious jailbird, also called ‘Jack the Grinder’, who is
> convicted of the murder of Farmer Trumbull.
>
> So, that seems right--a good shorthand way to indicate someone looks like
> a career criminal while at the same time remaining in the bounds of what
> one could say in Clarissa's drawing room.
>
> That's the treat. Now, my query: does anyone have anything clever,
> relevant, or interesting to add about Woolf on Trollope? I'd be most
> grateful for your thoughts. Her words on him are few and I'm not turning up
> much of enough significance to add to the footnote, except to say---what?
> She knew his work but didn't particularly admire it? Well, duh....
>
> All best to you in the New Year,
>
> Anne
>
> --
> Anne E. Fernald<http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/english/faculty/english_faculty/anne_fernald_28537.asp>
> Director of Writing/Composition at Lincoln Center,
> Associate Professor of English<http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/english/index.asp>and Women's
> Studies <http://www.fordham.edu/womens_studies>
> Fordham University
> 113 W 60th St.
> New York NY 10023
>
> 212/636-7613
> fernald at fordham.edu
>
>
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