The Fixed Period

The Fixed Period is a satirical dystopian novel by Anthony Trollope published in 1882. Set in Britannula, an island of Australia. The president has decreed that all citizens reaching the age of sixty-seven are to enter a 'college.' There, they will be prepared for death at age sixty-eight. The first candidate for this euthanasia, Gabriel Crasweller, loses his enthusiasm for the 'fixed period' scheme as his own term approaches. Rescue is provided by the British navy, which returns Britannula to the rational rule of the Empire. Britannula is a former British Crown Colony which demanded, and was granted, independence from Great Britain in the mid-20th century. Its 250,000 inhabitants have, with few exceptions, retained British law and customs, and also her currency. Britannula is a thriving agrarian society whose wealth is mainly based on sheep farming and the wool trade. Its capital, Gladstonopolis, is named after 19th century British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.