Trollope opens his often elusive and provocative An Autobiography (1883) with an insistence that he will dwell on the facts of his public life rather than offer an analysis of the minutiae of his private life:

This study will follow Trollope's direction in placing its primary emphasis on his writings, on his literary career, and on his stature as a writer rather than on his life. In Trollope's case, however, when and how he lived do bear significantly on what and how he wrote. His Autobiography is, for example, vital not just because it has an important place amongst his writings but also because it helps his readers to understand his writings. It opens up avenues of exploration which can lead his readers in often unexpected, sometimes frustrating, sometimes singularly fruitful, directions.

The very fact that Trollope chose to call this autobiography An Autobiography, with an indefinite article, is indicative of the ways in which he can disconcert us as readers. This is not the way in which he seeks to present himself to us, but simply a way of so doing. It stands beside his novels, his essays, his travel writings, and his other public statements not as an explanation or justification of them but as a supplement to them. It also gives them a specific context which is both biographical and historical.