SOURCE: "The Journey to Panama': One of Trollope's Best Tarts'—or, Why You Should Read The Journey to Panama' to Develop Your Taste for Trollope," in Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. 30, No. 1, Winter, 1993, pp. 15-22.

In the essay below, Kohn contends that "The Journey to Panama" demonstrates that Trollope was a feminist

Today's literary appetites don't care much for Trollope's short stories. Although his place, for now, in the canon is firm, his reputation rests solely upon his novels. Trollope-hungry Victorians, however, enjoyed his short stories, which were published in popular periodicals such as Cornhill, edited by William Thackeray. In a letter to Trollope [quoted in Trollope's Autobiography], Thackeray encouraged Trollope to write short stories, which he compared to baking tarts:

Don't understand me to disparage our craft, especially your wares. I often say I am like the pastrycook, and don't care for tarts, but prefer bread and...