"Robert Elsmere" by Mrs. Humphry Ward is a novel published in 1888. It follows an Oxford clergyman who encounters German rationalist writings that shake his faith in Anglican doctrine. Rather than embracing atheism or Catholicism, he pursues a new path of social work among the poor. The novel sparked intense controversy in Victorian England, where religious doubt was taboo, becoming an immediate bestseller that sold over a million copies and provoked a famous critical response from Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone himself. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
