Can You Forgive Her?

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Can You Forgive Her? is a novel by Anthony Trollope, first published in serial form in 1864 and 1865.

It is also the title of a song written by the Pet Shop Boys, which was released as a single and which also appeared on their album Very. The song was partly inspired by Trollope's novel and its theme.

Can You Forgive Her? is the first of six novels in the "Palliser" series of novels. Like other novels in the series, the novel is considered a political novel; in this case the theme is sexual politics.

Alice Vavasor is the woman the reader is asked to forgive; the main plot of the novel revolves around her marriage choices. Early in the novel Alice asks the question "What should a woman do with her life?". This theme repeats itself in the dilemmas faced by other female characters in the novel.

Over the course of the novel, Alice befriends Lady Glencora and Plantagenet Palliser, characters who recur in the series.

[edit] Synopsis

Alice Vavasor is engaged to the rather dull, unambitious John Grey. She had previously been engaged to her unworthy cousin George, but after his unfaithfulness, she broke it off. All her relations are very eager for the match with Grey. Eventually, she convinces herself that he is too good for her and breaks up with him.

She then compounds her difficulties by renewing her engagement to George, assisted by some conniving by his loyal sister Kate. George then starts asking for money from Alice to support his parliamentary ambitions. In a twist, John pays the money instead to prevent Alice's financial ruin, unknownst to both George and Alice. After finding out, George tries to kill his rival, but fails. When he loses his seat, facing debts he cannot repay, George flees the country. Alice eventually marries John.

A sub-plot deals with the marriage of the extremely rich Plantagenet Palliser to the even wealthier heiress, Lady Glencora M'Cluskie. They are not very well suited. He is a stiff-necked, hardworking politician, while she has a lively, fun-loving personality and a well-developed sense of humour. She had been passionately in love with Burgo Fitzgerald, a worthless, penniless man who would have squandered her money. He plotted to elope with Glencora and she nearly agreed, even though she knew he would have ruined her eventually.

Plantagenet takes her to Switzerland for their honeymoon, where the two couples become acquainted. Plantagenet, who has few if any real friends, becomes close to John Grey. He persuades his new friend to run for Parliament, much to Alice's delight.

Meanwhile, Glencora finds that she is pregnant. After their return to England, she gives birth to a son, the hoped-for heir to the Palliser dynasty.

The satrical serial newspaper Punch renamed the work "Can you stand her?" noting its irritation at Alice's inepititude in deciding between her two suitors.

The Palliser novels by Anthony Trollope

Can You Forgive Her? | Phineas Finn | The Eustace Diamonds | Phineas Redux | The Prime Minister | The Duke's Children