Who is there that abstains from reading that which is printed in abuse of himself?

Trollope’s question points to a stubborn human reflex: even when we know a printed attack will wound or anger us, curiosity and vanity draw us to it. The phrasing implies that self-regard makes criticism feel uniquely urgent—more compelling than praise or neutral commentary—because it threatens our social standing and self-image. The quote also gestures toward the power of print culture (reviews, newspapers, pamphlets) to fix reputations publicly, making “abuse” hard to ignore. As a wry observation, it suggests that the desire to monitor what others say about us is nearly universal, and that resisting it requires uncommon discipline.