Dr. Wortle’s School

Dr. Wortle’s School is a short, warm novel by Anthony Trollope, published in 1881 and often praised as one of his most sympathetic. Dr. Wortle, a proud and independent clergyman who runs a successful boys’ school, hires a gifted assistant master and his charming wife, only to learn that a shadow hangs over their marriage which sets the tongues of the neighbourhood wagging. Rather than dismiss the couple, the headmaster stubbornly stands by them against gossip, bishops, and worried parents, and the book becomes a study of loyalty and moral courage in the face of respectable opinion. Trollope, who plainly admired his own hero, tells the story with warmth and quiet conviction. This free PDF and EPUB offers the complete novel.