Phineas Finn

Phineas Finn is Anthony Trollope's political novel about a young Irishman beginning a parliamentary career in London. The workings of party, patronage, and social connection shape his opportunities as much as his ability. His friendships and romantic attachments create obligations that cannot be neatly separated from public life. Through Phineas's changing fortunes, Trollope examines the compromises of political advancement and the difficulty of keeping personal judgment intact within a party system.