Mrs. General Talboys
Mrs. General Talboys is a novel by Anthony Trollope that explores the life of a middle-aged woman who finds herself in a difficult situation after her husband's death. The story follows Mrs. Talboys as she navigates her newfound freedom and struggles to make sense of her life without her husband. Through her experiences, Trollope examines themes of grief, identity, and the role of women in society during the Victorian era.
By Anthony Trollope · First published 1876 · Genre: Victorian Literature, Novella, Realism · 11,005 words
First lines
Why Mrs. General Talboys first made up her mind to pass the winter of 1859 at Rome I never clearly understood. To myself she explained her purposes, soon after her arrival at the Eternal City, by declaring, in her own enthusiastic manner, that she was inspired by a burning desire to drink fresh at the still living fountains of classical poetry and sentiment. But I always thought that there was something more than this in it. Classical poetry and sentiment were doubtless very dear to her; but so also, I imagine, were the substantial comforts of Hardover Lodge, the General's house in Berkshire; and I do not think that she would have emigrated for the winter had there not been some slight domestic misunderstanding. Let this, however, be fully made clear -- that such misunderstanding, if it existed, must have been simply an affair of temper. No impropriety of conduct has, I am very sure, ever been imputed to the lady.
What this Textopian page supports
Mrs. General Talboys is listed on Textopian as a short story by Anthony Trollope, dated 1876 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Anthony Trollope
- Date: 1876 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Victorian Literature, Novella, Realism, Satire
- Length: 11,005 words
- Structure: 1 section, 154 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Mrs. General Talboys by Anthony Trollope
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Mrs. General Talboys?
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Similar titles
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- The Two Heroines Of Plumplington by Anthony Trollope
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- Andrews Plan by Frank R. Stockton
Genres
- Victorian Literature — Written during the Victorian era, the book is representative of the prevalent societal and moral norms of the time.
- Novella — Mrs. General Talboys is a shorter piece of work typical of novella structure, containing a compact and pointed plot.
- Realism — Just like other works of Trollope, this novella falls into the genre of realism due to its depiction of real-life societal issues and behaviors of the time.
- Satire — The novel satirizes Victorian society and uses humor and exaggeration as a critique.
Tags
Victorian · literature · social commentary · marriage · class · gender roles · family dynamics · romance · satire · character study · English society · humor