The Figure of Christ in the Long Nineteenth Century

"In this beautifully constructed and consistently stimulating volume, Elizabeth

Ludlow and her contributors do a wonderful job of explaining why Christ was

such an important figure in nineteenth-century thought. The collection is marked

by its rich discussion, cohesive lines of argument, and interdisciplinary range."

-Mark Knight, Professor, Lancaster University, UK

"The Figure of Christ in the Long Nineteenth Century is a fascinating volume that

fills a gap in nineteenth-century scholarship, and restores to us a sense of how

central, how vigorous, and at the same time how contested, the portrayal of

Christ was in this period. From the apocalyptic and visionary writing and art of

Blake, to the vivid re-imaginings of novelists and children's writers, from the

poetry and art of central and established figures like Tennyson and Holman

Hunt, to the radical re-appraisals of the Chartist poets, these studies show how

the imaginative portrayal of Christ became a powerful way of expressing and

symbolising the great themes and controversies of this period. Elizabeth Ludlow

has done a fine job in selecting and editing these essays and her own work in

the field also makes a strong contribution to this volume."

- Malcolm Guite, Chaplain of Girton College, Cambridge, UK and author,

poet and singer-songwriter

This book is an interdisciplinary collection of essays that explores the variety of

ways in which the interface between understanding the figure of Christ, the

the long nineteenth century. Collectively, the chapters respond to the

theological turn in postmodern thought by asking vital questions about the way

in which representations of Christ shape understandings of personhood and of

the divine.