The fixed period: a novel

by Anthony Trollope · 1882

In the imagined island republic of Britannula, a law mandates that every citizen who reaches the age of 67 must retire to "The College" for a year of preparation before a state‑sanctioned death—a policy the nation hails as a humane step toward societal perfection. Narrated by President John Neverbend, the novel follows Gabriel Crasweller, the first man to face the Fixed Period. A vigorous, sharp‑minded farmer‑merchant, Crasweller questions the morality of a system he once helped create, while Neverbend views his friend’s impending demise as a triumph of progress. Through witty, Swiftian satire and a surprisingly futuristic setting for its 1882 publication, Anthony Trollove explores the clash between utilitarian ideals and individual dignity, offering a chilling, thought‑provoking meditation on age, authority, and the price of a so‑called utopia.