"The Fixed Period" by Anthony Trollope
Trollope pulled an Orwell!
Or should we say Orwell pulled a Trollope?
Read Review Below
“The Fixed Period” is a story taking place in the 1980s where a community living on an island off of England has decided to develop it’s own government and state, called Britannula. For the most part they are a very productive and efficient group, until their proposed law of the “Fixed Period” is finally about to be enacted.
What is the fixed period? This was a law put into place that when a member reached the age of 65, they would be taken to the “college”. This college would give them a full year or rest and relaxation, whereupon at the end of this year, they were to be executed, or as they graciously explain, retired.
The book is out of whack for a few reasons:
Trollope write this in the 1880s and he actually premeditates some events that actually happened in the 1980s. Creepy.
This is very reminiscent of two books: “1984” by George Orwell and “Logan’s Run” by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. I’ve not read Logan’s Run, but the story is the same premise, albeit way more extreme. Instead of killing people at 65, they kill them at 21. Brutal. However, I have read 1984 and both novels obviously center on a dystopian future where the little guy is trying to hopelessly escape the “Big Brother” government.
There is a love story.
Oh, Trollope. Of course there is a love story. Let me just say that although this storyline is not his typical genre, he doesn’t stray too far than what he is known for: empowering women. Well, sort of. It’s a mixed bag with his novels. For instance in “The Fixed Period” - women in the 1980s still behave as though they were living in the 1800s. Honestly, I would not have even thought this book took place in the future if it wasn’t for a few obscure laws and the steam bicycle they were all driving. Going back to women empowerment, I choose to believe he meant to give his character, Eva Crasweller, the most power. In the end, she is the one making all the decisions by manipulating the men around her. She achieves this by letting them all underestimate her. So even until the very last chapter, no one realizes they had been played by the prettiest girl in Britannula.
Overall, this book was OK. Trollope’s satire saves it, but not a book I’d read again. I wouldn’t be upset about a movie though.
| Pub Date: | January 1, 1882 | Page Count: | 207 Pages | ISBN: | 9780472064489 |