Dr Ellen Moody introduces chapters 25-36 of The Bertrams. 

Dr Moody holds a Ph.D in British Literature and taught in American senior colleges for more than 40 years. Since 2013 she has been teaching older retired people at two Oscher Institutes of Lifelong Learning, one attached to American University (Washington, DC) and other to George Mason University (in Fairfax, Va). She is also a literary scholar with specialties in 18th century literature, translation, early modern and women’s studies, film, nineteenth and 20th century literature and of course Trollope. For Trollope she wrote a book on her experiences of reading Trollope on the Internet with others, some more academic style essays, two on film adaptations, the most recent on Trollope’s depiction of settler colonialism: “On Inventing a New Country.”

The Bertrams

The Bertrams was originally published as a three volume novel by Chapman and Hall, 1859.

The Bertrams follows the fortunes of George Bertram, an idealistic young man educated at Oxford, and his friend Arthur Wilkinson, a modest and dutiful clergyman. As the two men pursue their futures, George through travel, writing, and conflict with his wealthy grandfather, and Arthur through parish life, they both become entangled with Caroline Waddington, a clever and thoughtful woman who must choose between them. The novel ranges widely in setting, including scenes in the Middle East, London, and rural England. Trollope reflects on themes of ambition, belief, inheritance, and romantic disappointment, making this one of his more philosophically rich novels.

Download Dr Ellen Moody’s paper

The Bertrams Chapters 25-36 by Ellen Moody

Reading Guide

• Explore our Reading Guide for The Bertrams

Resources

• Plot summary and character listing for The Bertrams (contains plot spoilers)
• Download The Bertrams free of charge from Project Gutenberg