Catholic Revival in English Literature, 1845–1961

Ian Ker is Catholic Chaplain at Oxford University and a Senior Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall. He is editor of John Henry Newman: The Idea of a University; John Henry Newman: An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent; coeditor of The Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman, volumes 1-4; and author of John Henry Newman: A Biography.

"In England, the period between John Henry Newman's conversion in 1845 and the beginning of Vatican II in 1962 was a golden age for Catholic writing. A good introduction to the central figures in this story is provided by Ian Ker in The Catholic Revival in English Literature, 1845-1961: Newman, Hopkins, Belloc, Chesterton, Greene, Waugh. ...[E]ven readers who are already very familiar with the work of the six writers will find this book highly rewarding." —National Review"It was because of the general ostracism of Catholics that the great convert, John Henry Newman, could see no prospect for a Catholic body of literature in a culture so overwhelmingly Protestant. The Reverend Ian Ker, the author of this series of essays and presently a member of the theological faculty at Oxford, describes Newman's contention as happily lacking in prescience. Rather, he argues, the six authors with whom he deals produced a substantial body of literature written by Catholics who wrote as Catholics. And he acknowledges that he could have selected many other English Catholic writers for the same reason. ...Ian Ker has done all those who have an interest in nineteenth- and twentieth-century English literature a service by his compelling and intelligent reading of these six authors." —The Antioch Review"…sprightly and readable…." —North Dakota Quarterly"...this study is a pleasure to read for its strong argument, bold analyses of Roman Catholic and Anglo-Catholic religions, and close readings of texts." —The Journal of Religion"Ker's book is well written, well informed and… interesting…." —Theologie"Any future studies taking up the intersection of Catholicism (indeed, of religion) and literature will be indebted to this book." —Evelyn Waugh Newsletter and Studies"The Catholic Revival in English Literature is a useful addition to the study of the six writers it covers. All of it is elegantly written and... carefully argued." —First Things"... well-written essays on Catholic writers from John Henry Newman to Graham Greene. Each of the essays (chapters) contains sensitive insights into the variety of the Catholic experience in the 20th century." —Choice"...first-rate...." —The New York Sun"This is a fine, very enjoyable book, and deserves to be in all academic libraries and in the hands of all who appreciate English literature." —Catholic Library World"... Ker has made a significant contribution to understanding modern Catholic literature." —Crisis Magazine"What is most fascinating about this book for Victorianists is that it reveals a Newman scholar who wants to show that what Newman sought was in fact achieved. Ker's study is really an account of the afterlife of Newman. . . This work is worth reading not just for the questions it raises, but for its open acknowledgement of the ongoing influence of Newman, or the idea of Newman, in the author's work." —Victorian Studies"Ker's study is an engaging work. It serves well as an introductory book for those interested in the Catholic literary revival, and offers the scholar an insightful reading of these authors and their texts by a fine theologian and literary critic." —Comparative Literature Studies