I still think Trollope's initial physical description of Obadiah Slope is one of the best (in a yuck sense!) that I've ever read.
He must have had something similar in mind when describing the ghastly Mr Bott, MP - the bete noir (noire?) of Glencora in the first Palliser novel.
Re writing for serialisation, an OU course I once did on the 19th century novel included Far From The Madding Crowd (one of a dozen) and it was very interesting to see how it was first published in monthly serial form - with a real cliffhanger at the end of each instalment, exactly like soaps/serials of today.
In the serial version - a relatively expensive magazine (unlike one of Dickens' magazines, a twopenny weekly) the editor made him remove some of the more shocking bits, as unsuitable or a bad influence on the nicely brought up young ladies who might read it. IIRC the editor was Virginia Woolf's father.
However the 'shocking' bits were considered acceptable for the book version, since the sort of people who could afford to buy books were not likely to have their morals corrupted!
Good Morning Wednesday 13th May 2026
Being asked for an honest opinion
To be really irritated by chefs over praising their own food?
