Robert Elsmere
Public-domain ebook
Robert Elsmere
Language: en10,621 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #24898.
About this book
Robert Elsmere is a work of religious fiction that opens in a sun‑lit June garden, where the lively chatter of sisters Rose and Agnes frames the arrival of the young clergyman Robert. The narrative immediately situates the reader in a bucolic English valley, describing the brightening hills, the newly unfurled leaves of oaks and beeches, and the playful interactions of a collie and a cat. Through a series of witty exchanges, the sisters discuss tea, marriage prospects, and the impending visit of Robert, whose presence quickly becomes the focal point of their conversation. Their banter, peppered with references to literature, fashion, and social expectations, sets up a social tableau that hints at deeper questions of faith, duty, and personal desire without revealing the plot beyond this introductory gathering.
The prose reflects a late‑Victorian sensibility, with ornate description and a conversational tone that mirrors the genteel yet probing dialogue of the period. Ward’s style blends naturalistic detail with a subtle irony, creating characters who speak with both earnestness and a hint of satire. Readers who enjoy nuanced social dramas, especially those exploring the tensions between religious conviction and personal freedom, will find this novel engaging. Its blend of domestic scene and intellectual debate will appeal to admirers of classic English literature who appreciate richly drawn dialogue and a reflective, character‑driven narrative.
Characters in Robert Elsmere
- RoseYoung Victorian lady, dark hair in a bun, high‑necked lace dress, gentle smile, holding a teacup
- AgnesPretty Victorian woman, chestnut curls, modest gown with modest sleeves, thoughtful expression, seated by window
- Robert ElsmereYoung clergyman, neat beard, scholarly spectacles, frock coat over waistcoat, solemn yet approachable demeanor
Opening lines
Humphry Ward. CHAPTER VI 'Agnes, if you want any tea, here it is,' cried Rose, calling from outside through the dining-room window; 'and tell mamma.' It was the first of June, and the spell of warmth in which Robert Elsmere had arrived was still maintaining itself. An intelligent foreigner dropped into the flower-sprinkled valley might have believed that, after all, England, and even Northern England, had a summer. Early in the season as it was, the sun was already drawing the colour out of the hills; the young green, hardly a week or two old, was darkening. Except the oaks. They were brilliance itself against the luminous gray-blue sky. So were the beeches, their young downy leaves just unpacked, tumbling loosely open to the light. But the larches and the birches and the hawthorns were already sobered by a longer acquaintance with life and Phœbus. …
Keep reading free · start reading with no account
