Download Professor Amarnick’s detailed notes on the restored passages. Professor Amarnick considers the meaning of the text, and the impact of Trollope’s removal of 65,000 words from the original manuscript.

Download notes on selected restored passages

Notes, Volume 1 – Chapters 1-26

Notes, Volume 2 – Chapters 27-53

Notes, Volume 3 – Chapters 54-80

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An excerpt from the notes

CHAPTER 2

1) In answer to this the Duchess had said something of enormous wealth being no more than an enormous burden.

This helps to emphasise how the Duchess’ seal of approval for Frank may not mean that much, as she is willing to defend even his running through an inheritance that he hasn’t gotten. And so we are given less reason to trust Frank than in the edited version. The Duchess’ character comes alive more too. She tried, unsuccessfully, to use her enormous wealth to win greater political power for her husband in The Prime Minister. Mention of the “burden” here provides a link to that book. And, of course, she may well believe, at least at times, that if she hadn’t been so wealthy, she would have been allowed to marry Burgo Fitzgerald and they would have lived happily.

2) On the afternoon of the day on which the young men had left Matching,

Trollope cut many details about place and time. Here, it is useful to know that Mrs. Finn converses with Mary as soon as Silverbridge and Gerald have gone away. Her speed, or lack of speed, in speaking out becomes a major issue in the following chapters.

3) Those who knew the Duchess well and who would declare that the daughter was the image of the mother…copy excelled the original.

If people have made open declarations about how the daughter is superior to the mother, they demonstrate that they are quite willing to insult the latter behind her back. We are thus reminded of how, despite her wealth and title, the Duchess did not necessarily win great respect.

4) The latter had now been more than twelve months abroad, and previously to that had been subject to governesses and teachers. And,

Though he is not mentionedhere, this passage reminds us of the Duke’s distance from his children. Governesses and teachers have been more intimately involved with them than he has; and even though he has been with his children abroad, he doesn’t pay much attention to them—which is why someone like Frank Tregear can appear with the Duke barely noticing him.

5) “I never heard her speak a word of Lady Cantrip that I can remember.”

It is possible that indeed the Duchess never mentioned Lady Cantrip; more likely, though, is that she did mention her but never said anything worth remembering. In a subtle way, then, these few restored words suggest how Mary already has some scornfulness toward Lady Cantrip. Rather than being someone totally outside the Palliser orbit, Lady Cantrip is within that orbit but inconsequential.

6) “If he wants me to go away, why does he not tell me so himself? I don’t think he ought to want me to go away because the boys have gone.”

These two sentences add a certain amount of disapproval on Mary’s part, as if her father is prone to bad decisions and too far removed to speak about them to her face. Though Mary remains loyal to him throughout the novel, it is valuable to see more undercurrents of exasperation.

7) The Duke declared that he would be glad to see Mr. Finn, and spoke of our old friend Phineas as one of his established friends;

With these added words, we can see the Duke momentarily trying to convince himself that he actually does have “established friends” he would be glad to see; without these words, the Duke is merely inviting Phineas out of politeness. Mrs. Finn’s explanation that follows, about why “Mr. Finn had better not come to Matching at present,” fits more smoothly with these restored words, as she explains how, even if Phineas is a friend, he’s not the type of friend that the Duke can be comfortable around at this time.

8) No one was more fully aware than Mrs. Finn herself that there were rumours still afloat as to the manner in which…house of the Pallisers.

It is not only that Mrs. Finn is aware of the rumours; she is “more fully aware” than anyone else. We saw in Phineas Finn especially just how sensitive she is about her integrity, about wanting community but not at the cost of debasing herself. We get a sense now that, despite her marriage, she is as sensitive as she has always been.

© Steven Amarnick 2015