Doctor Thorne(1858) is the third novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire". It is preceded by Barchester Towers (1857) and followed by Framley Parsonage (1861).
It is mainly concerned with the romantic problems of Mary Thorne, niece of Doctor Thomas Thorne (a member of a junior branch of the family of Mr Wilfred Thorne who appeared in the previous novel), and Frank Gresham, the only son of the local squire, although Trollope as the omniscient narrator assures the reader at the beginning that the hero is really the doctor.
Major themes of the book are the social pain and exclusion caused by illegitimacy, the nefarious effects of the demon drink, and the difficulties of romantic attachments outside one's social class. The novel also gives a vivid picture of electioneering and all the just-legal shenanigans that accompany the event. Most of the action takes place in a village of Barsetshire, and a stately pile not far off, but London beckons, and one scene there details the gentlemanly horsewhipping of a cad.
The idea of the plot was suggested to Trollope by his brother Thomas.
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