The futuristic utopia depicted in The Fixed Period (1882) is a radical and unexpected departure for Anthony Trollope. Imagine Thomas Pynchon writing a chick lit novel, or Maeve Binchy turning her hand to slash fiction. It’s a radical departure for me, too, as essentially I’ve been tricked into reading science fiction. The story is set in 1980 in the fictional republic of Britannula, created when a group of ex-pats occupy the South Island of New Zealand and claim independence from Great Britain. The 25,000-strong community is led by President John Neverbend, who almost bursts with his own self importance and civic pride.
The tiny nation is initially peaceful and well-ordered, serving as a model democracy. However, disharmony prevails when President Neverbend introduces his pet theory of the Fixed Period. Concerned that people should not be allowed to outlive their usefulness, he introduces a programme of mandatory euthanasia for anyone reaching the age of 67 and a half. His fellow legislators initially agree with the plan, although with an attendant degree of unease. The trouble comes when the first man to be “deposited”, Gabriel Caswaller, mounts a spirited defence, and his popularity in the community means that he is also able to rouse popular support. Neverbend is appalled that his carefully-planned scheme could fall at the first hurdle, and is completely intransigent. His difficulties are compounded by the fact that is own son has fallen in love with Caswaller’s daughter. Nevertheless, he perseveres with his extraordinary policy and is stopped only by a dramatic deus ex machina.
The Fixed Period is darkly comedic and one of Trollope’s most entertaining novels. He clearly enjoyed himself enormously coming up with inventions for the 1980s and imagining what life would be like. Although he doesn’t quite predict the ZX81 or Bananarama, he does suggest mobile telephony and a form of podcasting. The Britain from which Britannula has seceded is essentially the same, however, with a strong hereditary principle in politics and Gladstone’s great-grandson as Prime Minister. The character of President Neverbend is a fine creation, as is his wife, Sarah, who pricks his pomposity with Mrs Caudle-style lectures.
Contemporary reviewers weren’t quite sure what to make of The Fixed Period, and the Times described it as “essentially ghastly”. It’s difficult to know whether Trollope seriously supported the idea of euthanasia, voluntary or otherwise. In a curious twist of fate, however, he died not long after the novel was published, at the age of 67 and a half.
There hasn’t been a decent edition of The Fixed Period for some time, and secondhand copies are quite pricey. However, I downloaded a very high quality Kindle edition for 75p.
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SciFi – now you’re talking
Bah! I’m hoping this is just a blip, and I won’t suddenly find other Victorian writers dabbling in sci-fi. Next I’ll discover that George Eliot wrote a book about football…
I’m doing ‘Brave New World’ with a group later in the year. This would make wonderful book to suggest as wider related reading, especially as it’s available through kindle. Many thanks.
I haven’t even *heard* of this one, but I’m a fan of the utopia as you know. Will be downloading. Ta.
It’s not very well known, Kirsty. It sold only 877 copies, so the publisher abandoned any thoughts of a second edition. Also, it’s so different from his other work that it didn’t appeal to his traditional fanbase.
Back to your Wilkie Collins habit- I’m not sure if you’re on Twitter, but @thewomaninwhite is tweeting Collins’ days from 1861. Fabulous.
Oh yes, he mentioned it on the VICTORIA listserv. I am indeed on Twitter: @catherinepope and @victoriansecret
I have a copy of this but have never read it – picked up a Folio society edition for £5 so consider myself lucky. I am posting on At at moment and have linked to your blog as well
That was indeed a bargain, Elaine! I’d be interested to hear what you think to The Fixed Period. Many thanks for the mention on your blog.
Quite unlike any Trollope I’ve read previously: not least the fact that it is set in 1980. It doesn’t work as science fiction, in the same way that Gulliver’s Travels doesn’t work as geography, but the strangeness of the setting means that the ideas are not tainted by present-day political debates. Surprisingly modern in many ways despite the bizarre technology (not least in the cricket) with at its centre a debate about euthanasia and to what extent democratic Great Powers are justified in intervening in the affairs of independent nations.
Yes, it’s odd how Trollope anticipates modern communication systems, but everything else remains resolutely nineteenth-century. Did you enjoy it, or was the strangeness off-putting?
I’ve read The Fixed Period just after I finished the Barchester Chronicles. Frankly I found The Fixed Period rather disappointing, after all the praise on your pages, Catherine. I couldn’t feel being ‘in’ the story somehow, I just didn’t connect, like I felt I was connecting with the Barchester community. Lily Dale is described as a prig, by many, but in my opinion mister Neverbend is the biggest prig ever…..boring you with endless repetitions of his convictions. The only character that lighted a spark of sympathy was mr. Crasweller. By the way, I must confess that I read the chapter about the cricket match somewhat diagonally, because I don’t know anything about cricket anyway, so the fun of this chapter was totally lost to me.
I love that you are doing all of Trollope – I’m doing the same, but I have little time to read on any given day, so year would be very difficult for me! I did all of Paliser and Barset last year, and have read about 8 of his stand-alone so far this year.
Anyway, I just read FIXED PERIOD – I liked it, but not so much as a story as in the fascination with the topic and how it played out in his fictional world. I thought it was fascinating to see how a “black-and-white” law such as this will inevitably come up to serious opposition when it comes time to enforce it. Moral issues were not nearly so much a part of the daily conversation in Trollope’s day that it is today, I would bet.
In addition to the Euthanasia topic (which was supposedly a smoke-screen Trollope used to mask that he was really writing Neverbend as a pseudo-representative of himself as he and others endeavored to make cremation a standard practice in England), Trollope also tackled issues of Imperialism and Colonialism as Britain asserts itself into Britannula – what fresh topic for today as our superpowers still insert themselves in the business of smaller nations and try to “correct” their behavior.
Trollope also prefigures a few other things, surely without even realizing it. In the concept of “depositing” the elderly into the college prior to termination, he essentially predicts the rise of the Nursing Home. (although I don’t know, maybe they were already popular in his day?) Also, with the naval warship and it’s cannon so large it could level a city, Trollope prefigures today’s nuclear arms race, in which the superpowers own weapons so massive the mere MENTION of them is usually enough to settle any dispute!
So very much to talk about with this novel – again, not really remarkable as a “story” – but wholly fascinating as an examination of human nature, and the pride of those who try to enact laws and insist that black-and-white applications of them are the only way to go!