Robert Elsmere

Ward, Humphry, Mrs., 1851-1920Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.9

Word count: 1.6M words
Chapters: 164

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Robert Elsmere by Mrs. Humphry WardAuthor: Ward, Humphry, Mrs., 1851-1920,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 23, 2008

Editor's review

Robert Elsmere is one of Mrs. Humphry Ward's major works. Centering on a young clergyman whose faith wavers and who faces moral choices and marital strains, it places the religious and intellectual conflicts of the late Victorian era within the daily life of family and community. The novel is long and gives equal weight to discussion and psychological portrayal; it reads more like a slow intellectual conversation than a fast-paced melodrama. Its value lies in presenting a cross-section of an era's intellectual atmosphere: when traditional faith meets new currents of thought, how does an individual choose between honesty and duty? It suits readers willing to enter characters' inner lives patiently, reading in installments over a longer period and attending to the book's discussions of religion, obligation, and emotional choice. Contemporary readers need not fully agree with the characters' positions; they can also treat the book as a window onto the spiritual condition of nineteenth-century English society.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Victorian English fiction and intellectual history
Literary readers who enjoy psychological characterization and ethical discussion
Those studying the conflict between religious faith and modern society
Readers willing to read a long novel slowly and savor dialogue and reflection

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plotting and fast-paced narrative
Readers impatient with religious themes and lengthy discussion
Beginning readers who need a Chinese translation for easy reading

Reading tips

First gain a general understanding of nineteenth-century English religious and intellectual debate; the conflicts are easier to grasp once you enter the text.
Proceed chapter by chapter, reviewing relationships and shifts in position every few chapters so as not to lose the threads.
Set the protagonist's faith struggle against contemporary people's value choices, and write down your own questions and judgments.
If time is limited, read the key turning-point chapters first and then go back to fill in the surrounding context.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is this book mainly about?

The novel centers on a young clergyman, Robert Elsmere, and his wavering and choices in faith, thought, and feeling, which in turn affect his marriage, family, and community ties. It is more an intellectual and ethical novel than a simple love story.

Why is it so long and so full of discussion?

The work belongs to the late Victorian tradition of the novel of ideas, in which inner life and clashes of opinion occupy a central place. Readers need to accept a slower narrative pace to appreciate its period atmosphere and the depth of its discussion.

Do I need a background in religion?

You need not be a believer or an expert, but a general understanding of the debates within the English Church at the time and the impact of new currents of thought will significantly lower the bar to reading. Ordinary readers can also start from the characters' situations.

Is there a Chinese edition?

The information shows only the Project Gutenberg English ebook; no Chinese edition is provided. If you need to read in Chinese, look for a reliable translation yourself and use the original to check key passages.

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About the author

Ward, Humphry, Mrs., 1851-1920 Author

Mrs. Humphry Ward (1851–1920) was a British novelist of the late Victorian era, born Mary Augusta Arnold and known after marriage by her husband's surname. Her fiction often centres on conflicts between religious belief and moral conviction, while also touching on social reform, women's circumstances and family ethics. Her style is realistic, with finely drawn psychological portraits, and her work reached a wide readership in the English-speaking world of her day. The novel Robert Elsmere, her best-known work, stirred public debate by addressing a crisis of faith, while Marcella, The History of David Grieve and The Marriage of William Ashe likewise explore personal conviction and social responsibility. Thirty-three of her works are held in this collection. Public information is limited, so details of her life and career are not elaborated here.