Domestic Manners of the Americans

What are Trollope’s various reasons for writing the book, and how do they relate to or contrast with her reasons for going to America?

The book does not record Trollope’s impressions in real time (as in a diary) but rather as colored by hindsight, after she had made up her mind about America. Do you think it is possible to accurately reconstruct one’s travel experience after the fact? Why or why not?

Trollope argues that “there is hardly a single point of sympathy between the Americans and us” (282). What according to her are the reasons for this divergent point of view? What solution, if any, does she offer?

Early critics argued that Trollope’s unfavorable view of America reflected her personal misfortunes in the country—in other words, her opinions lacked objectivity. Do you think it is possible to be objective when assessing an unfamiliar country in which one is temporarily living? Why or why not?

Trollope comes out strongly against slavery and just as strongly against the idea of equality. Can these two seemingly contradictory views be reconciled? Cite examples from the text.

Trollope argues that love of money coarsens Americans’ minds, while Domestic Manners was itself written in part to make money by showing others in a disparaging light. Do you find Trollope guilty of any of the faults with which she charges Americans? Why or why not? Develop this theme in a few paragraphs.

While in New York City, Trollope comments that “were all America like this fair city […] I should say, that the land was the fairest in the world” (312–13). What does Trollope particularly like about New York, and how does this contrast with the parts of the country that Trollope most dislikes? Cite examples from the text.

According to Trollope, what role does literature play in “civilizing” a society? What role does literature itself play in the narrative of Domestic Manners?