A Return To Trollope: Did The Book Change — Or Did I?
How could the venerable Duke's children be so heartless, particularly after he's suffered the death of his beloved Cora, who haunts the book like a ghost, as mocking, manipulative and magnificent as she was when she was alive? I was frustrated by the whining narcissism of the younger generation. They should have been paying much more attention to their father's wise advice.
Horrors, I was identifying with the Duke! When did I get so grumpy and conservative — and defensive? Had I also short-changed my own children with a focus on career and ambition, as the Duke had? Trollope's words were the same, but for me the whole novel had shifted into another key.
Like a Shakespearean comedy, the book ends with a series of weddings. As the Duke makes his peace with his children's choices, Trollope shows the reader how civilizations and families evolve, achieving in the process a new equilibrium between the generations. My younger self rejoiced at the Duke's abdication of paternal power and his shrunken sphere of influence. I still managed to celebrate the triumph of the young lovers — but I also wept.
I wonder when my next encounter with Lady Glencora and the Duke of Omnium will be. Should I wait another 20 years? What new shocks will be in store for me then? If I'm very lucky, perhaps someday I will read them all aloud to my grandchildren, seeking the insight of a new generation.
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