Anthony Trollope, Ralph the Heir

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Ralph the Heir

was first published in book form in 1872, during Trollope's middle period. Although Trollope described it in his

Autobiography

(ch 19) as

one of the worst novels I have written”, the book has an interesting plot, rounded characters, and a famous account of an election at “Percycross”, which stands for Beverley, where Trollope's failed and embittering bid for a seat in parliament took place.

The list of characters reveals striking structural similarities and contrasts reminiscent of the parallels in Renaissance drama, which was an interest of the author's. It is the story of four families, in each of which the focus is on the father and his relations with his children. At the top of the social scale and attracting the most attention in the exposition are the

1628 words

Citation: Shaw, Philip. "Ralph the Heir". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 June 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2457, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2457 Ralph the Heir 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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