|
|
Article: The genius of Trollope; Sex, greed and ambition...why this Victorian masterpiece is as relevant now as 125 years ago.
- Article from:
- Daily Mail (London)
- Article date:
- November 19, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: JOHN MORTIMER
THE new Sunday night costume drama series, The Way We Live Now, is an oasis in the desert of today's television. And, surprise, surprise, it really is about the way we live now - 2001 has an extraordinary resemblance to the England a century and a quarter ago when Anthony Trollope sat down to write his masterpiece.
Trollope looked out with indignation, sadness and savage humour at a world where honest and decent values were in decline.
Sleaze and sycophancy were rewarded with success. The Hooray Henries of the day, such as Trollope's character Sir Felix Carbury, got drunk in the wine bars and clubs of their times, seduced ...