Religion in literature.

Considering the fervent Catholicism of convert G. K. Chesterton's societal views, his championship of Charles Dickens, a seemingly avid non-Catholic, may appear misplaced. Upon examination, however, the wisdom of Chesterton's rationale will manifest itself; in fact, rereading Dickens's Dombey and Son through the eyes of Chesterton's Orthodoxy will prove Dickens himself to be a champion, albeit an inadvertent one, of the very core of Catholicism. Presenting Florence Dombey as a heroine, as a paragon of religious strength, and as a path to salvation for her misguided father, I present her not only as Dickens's literary and moral contribution to readers of his age, but also as a symbolic Marian model to readers of any age. Through a Chestertonian reading of Dombey and Son, two things become overwhelmingly apparent: Dickens's own "orthodoxy" and his powerful optimism.

Hugh Price Hughes was a Welsh Methodist minister who revolutionized Victorian Methodism through his "Forward Movement" and the West London Mission. He was important because he helped to modernize and socialize Nonconformity and brought the forces of holiness to bear on the political process by encouraging an activist faith. The use of The Methodist Times and his sermons demonstrate his message that Christianity and power politics were compatible. However, there were inconsistencies in his vision, as he tried to combine socialism and "liberal imperialism," duty and political activism. Evaluations of his sermons reveal his extreme idealism which was fast becoming problematic by the late Victorian, early Edwardian period. Hughes epitomized the transitional nature of his time and place. Despite his noble effort to modernize Christian belief, his vision of a Christian world order was politically paternalistic and out of touch with burgeoning democracy.