Robert Elsmere as a Reflection of the Tractarian Controversy (1833-1890)

Between 1833 and 1890, the controversial Tractarian or Oxford Movement created a turmoil in British society. In 1888, amid the religious and political consternation of that time, Mary Augusta Arnold Ward published Robert Elsmere, the story of an Anglican priest who came to question and ultimately reject his faith because of the truths he uncovered in his studies of history. This thesis illustrates how the novel captured the religious conflict of the individuals and families who were caught in the midst of the Tractarian period in British history