Published in 1861, Antony Trollope’s Framley Parsonage is the fourth book in The Barsetshire Chronicles series. Framley Parsonage's novel comes after Dr. Thorne and The Small House at Allington. Framley Parsonage’s hero is Mark Roberts, a youthful vicar living in Framley village. The novel has two plots.
The first explores Mark's journey to becoming a vicar, while the second part follows Lord Lufton's romance with Lucy, Mark's sister. The first plot follows Mark's journey into becoming the vicar of Framley parish. Mark’s decision to become a vicar is influenced by his childhood friend Lord Lufton and his mother, Lady Lufton, who owns a local church in the small town of Framley. At first, Lady Lufton allows Mark to minister at her church in the Framely Court. However, Mark is ambitious and wants to rise quickly to become Barsetshire Cathedral's vicar. Mark starts looking for connections to enable him to achieve his dream. The first influential person Mark interacts with is a parliamentarian called Mr. Sowerby. The parliamentarian promises Mark a position at the Barsetshire Cathedral. However, Sowerby is a notorious debtor who preys on innocent people like Mark into guaranteeing him huge bank loans, which he never repays. Mark innocently agrees to guarantee Mr. Sowerby a bank loan despite the rejection by Lady Lufton. Lady Lufton warns Mark that Mr. Sowerby is a swindler, but he fails to heed the advice. Later, Mark's public image is tainted when the bank pursues him to pay the amount of money Mr. Sowerby defaults.
The second plot of the novel follows the romance between Lucy and Lord Lufton. When Mark’s father dies, he invites his sister, Lucy, to come to Framley Court, and Lady Lufton welcomes her. Lucy stays in Lady Lufton's home for several months. Slowly, Lord Lufton falls in love with Lucy. However, his mother does not approve of the relationship. Lady Lufton wants her son to marry Griselda, a stately woman, to maintain the family's status. Lord Lufton ignores his mother's advice, and he proposes to Lucy. Lucy tells Lord Lufton that she can only accept the proposal once his mother approves their relationship. A few days after the proposal, Griselda gets married to Lord Dumbello. At last, Lady Lufton approves of his son's relationship with Lucy.
The book ends with Lucy getting married to Lord Lufton in a ceremony that involves other weddings. The first is between Bishop Proudie’s daughter and Grantly. The second marriage is between Martha and Dr. Thorne. The fulfillment of matrimonial ambitions towards the end of the novel Framley Parsonage creates an important comical subplot representing victory.
