The period known as the fin de siècle (usually taken as the years from 1885-1901) was a fluid and unsettling epoch of endings and beginnings, as well as of new forms of creativity and anxiety.
The end of the century is regarded by scholars of literary and cultural studies as a critical moment in the history of their disciplines; but has been largely ignored by religious historians.
In her new book, Dr Frances Knight sets that right. Showing how late Victorian Britain (often considered one of the most intensely Christian societies) reacted to the bold agendas of the era’s thinkers. And how prominent Church figures first identified many of the concerns that have preoccupied Christians since.
“Substantial and original...this illuminating study underlines the importance of the fin de siècle as a pivotal era in Christian thought and cultural life in England.”
Michael Snape, Michael Ramsey Professor at the University of Durham
"Frances Knight has opened up original and thought-provoking perspectives on the uncharted territory of the cultural cross-fertilisation of late nineteenth-century English Christianity."
William Jacob, Visiting Research Fellow, King’s College London, former Archdeacon of Charing Cross and Rector of St Giles-in-the-Fields, London
"Knight’s beautifully written book captures the rich complexity of this strange decade... She skilfully weaves their varied stories into an absorbing account of Christian responses."
Stewart J Brown, Professor of Ecclesiastical History, University of Edinburgh
Other books by Frances Knight, Associate Professor in the History of Modern Christianity at the University of Nottingham, include:
• The Nineteenth-century Church and English Society (1995)
• The Welsh Church from Reformation to Disestablishment (2007, with William Jacob, Glanmor Williams and Nigel Yates)
• The Church in the Nineteenth Century (IB Tauris, 2008)
Special Offer Price £39.20 (RRP £56.00)
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Posted on Tuesday 8th December 2015