The Prime Minister

What It's About

The fifth novel in Trollope's Palliser series finds Plantagenet Palliser, Duke of Omnium, installed as head of a fragile coalition government, uneasy in a role he never sought. His wife, the irrepressible Lady Glencora, throws herself into entertaining on a grand scale in an effort to shore up his position, with results that cause him as much embarrassment as help. Running alongside this is the story of Ferdinand Lopez, a charming but socially ambiguous outsider who marries into a respectable family and sets his sights on a career in politics, drawing the Duchess into his schemes along the way.

Key Concepts

The novel is preoccupied with the gap between public duty and private character, asking whether a scrupulous, cautious man is suited to high office at all. It also examines class, outsider status, and the often mercenary calculations behind marriage and political advancement in Victorian society.

About the Author

Anthony Trollope (1815–1882) was an English novelist of the Victorian era. He spent much of his career as a civil servant in the postal service, writing prolifically alongside his day job, and became known for his shrewd, unsentimental observation of English social, political, and domestic life.