Phineas Redux (1874) is possibly the darkest of the Palliser novels. In Phineas Finn (number two in the series), we saw the eponymous hero begin his ascent of the greasy pole, and he looked to have a bright future in British politics. In this sequel, the untimely death of his wife releases him from a disadvantageous marriage and exile in Ireland, and he once again bursts onto the London scene. Lacking wealth, however, he is placed in the position of a Trollope heroine: he must marry for money and resign himself to dependency. His choice of wife, therefore, must be entirely pragmatic.
In addition to his pecuniary woes, Finn must contend with the oleaginous newspaper editor, Quintus Slide, who is determined to bring about his downfall. Despite being a generally good egg, Finn attracts other enemies, who between them conspire to have him imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit. As we are in the hands of Trollope, there is no mystery as to the real perpetrator of the crime – the narrative interest lies in how he responds to the situation in which he finds himself.
Finn’s downfall is interwoven with the ongoing story of Lady Laura Kennedy (neé Standish), the woman with whom he was desperately in love in Phineas Finn. Although his feelings were reciprocated, her brother’s considerable debts obliged Lady Laura to marry the repellent, but wealthy, Robert Kennedy. Kennedy’s increasingly unreasonable behaviour forces Lady Laura to exile herself in Dresden, where her life is barely less circumscribed than it was at home. With no grounds for divorce, her position is effectively suspended, and she must endure her estranged husband’s erratic and minatory attempts to reclaim his conjugal rights.
Normally conservative with his female characters, Trollope treats Lady Laura sympathetically. Although he stops short of condoning her behaviour in leaving her husband, he doesn’t stint in portraying the rebarbative features of Kennedy’s personality. There are strong parallels between Kennedy and Louis Trevelyan in He Knew He Was Right, both of whom inflict sustained mental cruelty on their wives. Whilst physical violence was increasingly cited in divorce cases at the time, psychological damage was largely dismissed as insignificant. Trollope’s shocking description of a completely subjugated Lady Laura, a husk of her former vivacious self, is a powerful argument to expose the lasting effects of domestic tyranny.
Lady Laura’s sufferings are ameliorated by the death of Robert Kennedy, leaving her a wealthy widow. Her experiences, however have taken their tolls on her looks, and she has lost her bloom and former ebullience. Lady Laura is one of the most tragic characters in Trollope’s novels, and it is difficult to read some of the scenes without wincing. The sheer emotion of the writing, and Trollope’s cogent contribution to the marriage reform debate make Phineas Redux a work of greatness.
Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope