Orley Farm

"Orley Farm" by Anthony Trollope is a 19th-century novel centered on Lady Mason and her son, Lucius, and the drama around a disputed inheritance. The estate of Orley Farm is left to Lucius in a will, causing conflict with his half-brother, Joseph Mason, setting off a legal battle that drives the story. Trollope uses the courtroom scenes and family interactions to investigate ideas about what is fair, right and wrong, and how English society works. Early in the story the reader learns about where Orley Farm came. We meet Sir Joseph Mason, who leaves Orley Farm to his young son Lucius in a controversial will addition, challenged by his older son, Joseph, who thinks he should have the property. Lady Mason is shown as the main character, and her reasons and personality are slowly revealed as the legal fight progresses. The opening chapters set the scene for the complex relationships about inheritance and the moral problems related to money and legacy.