This is the second of the Barsetshire novels. Archdeacon Grantly eagerly expects to be made bishop of Barchester by the new Whig government and is disappointed with Dr Proudie's appointment. The story is of his struggle to take control of the diocese nonetheless. Mr Quiverful is selected by Mrs Proudie to become the new warden of Hiram's Hospital. The Chaplain Mr Slope's hopes to succeed the Dean, but when he died, he was dashed by a scandal. Indeed, Mrs Proudie makes sure he is dismissed as the chaplain.
The novel is set in an imaginary West Country county of Barset, with its main town being Barchester. These novels were famous for their acute portrayal of family, professional and social life of the time.
Anthony Trollope was born in 1815 and died in 1882. He was born in poverty and the family had to move to Belgium. He moved to Ireland when he married, returning to England in 1959 and worked for the Post Office as a civil servant.