#and grantley's all 'this is war. i am making plans. we have to destroy these people before they destroy us.' | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fictionadventurer · 4 days ago

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It turns out the most fun way to engage with Barchester Towers is to map the characters on to other characters/people from the future that Trollope couldn't have known about.

Dr. Grantley = Squidward (ambitious, a bit pretentious/likes the finer things in life, tries for dignity but is easily angered)

Mr. Harding = Winnie the Pooh (sweet and small and simple and friendly and likes his little songs)

Mrs. Proudie = Mrs. Oleson (very opinionated domineering wife)

Mr. Slope = Rasputin (oily guy who uses spirituality to prey upon women and gain power)

#books #barchester towers #anthony trollope #i can't explain the delight of the sitcommy scene where grantley and harding have just faced the other two #and come away overwhelmed by the horribleness #and grantley's all 'this is war. i am making plans. we have to destroy these people before they destroy us.'#and mr. harding's just 'i didn't like him very much.'#the comparisons are making it easier for me to figure out how trollope's pulling this off #like squidward's annoying and not a terribly good person #but he's nothing compared to rasputin so of course i wind up on his side when this new guy's on the scene #also mr. harding is becoming very beloved #the scene where it mentions that his weakness is doubting himself #so after slope gives his speech condemning music and ritual as empty outward show #and poor mr. harding who loves his music is like 'was i wrong to chant the litany all these years?'#i'm like 'first off. relatable.'#and second i want to give that man a hug and some cookies #i will come and listen to your beautiful choir mr. harding!#in this list i feel like i should have a comparison character for dr. proudie #he's not nice and mild and sarcastic like mr. oleson #mr. collins came to mind but that implies a verboseness and an over-the-top level of bootlicking that's not present here #like you've just got a guy who's willing to go along with the people around him #as long as it helps his ambition he's glad to let himself be used #there's got to be a decent comparison but i can't think of who

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