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What are the themes of the Victorian age we see in The Warden?

Trollope's The Warden reflects three major developments in Victorian culture and ideology. 


The first issue Trollope raises is the role of newspapers and investigative journalism. In his picture of The Jupiter (a stand in for the Times) he tries to show how the media, in their quest for stories that sell and scandalous headlines, can often mislead or harm people.


The next issue that Trollope engages is the shifting religious landscape. He shows the Church of England moving from the gentle benevolence of the Reverend Harding to the more dogmatic positions of the strict high churchmen and evangelicals. Harding is the most sympathetic character of the work and through him Trollope argues for the need for human kindness and community rather than dogma.


The third issue Trollope addresses is the shift from personal benevolence to a rule of law in charity. In one sense, Trollope shows us the positive side to ending corruption and establishing a rule of law, but on the other hand, after all the scandal and disruption, the residents end up worse off than before.

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