Newman and His Contemporaries (review)

Among the mini-flood of publications unleashed by the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-90) by Pope Benedict XVI on September 19, 2010, at Cofton Park, Birmingham, England, Edward Short's Newman and His Contemporaries stands out for several reasons. First of all is its sheer quantity: some 400 densely packed pages of narrative, augmented by another 100-plus pages of references and biographical information. Not only is this book a mega-volume; more important, it is a quality volume that is a pleasure to read—the author writes well, in spite of yielding occasionally to the temptation of literary Wanderlust. In addition, Short has both an in-depth knowledge of Newman's life and thought, as well as an enviable familiarity with the writings of many of Newman's contemporaries who, in some cases, have been treated only en passant by other Newman biographers. An additional enhancement to this volume is the center collection of black-and-white reproductions of people and places mentioned in the text.

The first four of this volume's thirteen chapters treat the well-known triumvirate of the Oxford Movement: John Keble (1792-1866), Edward Bouverie Pusey (1800-82), and Richard Hurrell Froude (1803-36). Froude's premature death during the early years of the movement left much of its leadership in Newman's hands; Keble and Pusey were thinkers, not organizers. The posthumous publication of Froude's Remains (London, 1838) suggests that had he lived longer, he might well have entered the Roman Catholic Church before Newman did, thereby posing the perennially intriguing question why Newman became a Roman Catholic, while Keble and Pusey did not.

This volume's middle five chapters are a smörgåsbord: Newman's view of public life, his "female faithful," his contacts with Americans such as Orestes Brownson (1803-76),as well as his relationship with William Ewart Gladstone (1809-98) and his admiration for William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-63). Although Newman's relationship with Gladstone has already received considerable attention, especially in regard to Newman's Letter to the Duke of Norfolk (1875), Short's discussion of Newman's admiration for Thackeray's Vanity Fair (1847-48) draws attention to an often neglected aspect of Newman's life: his love of literature.

In the volume's last four chapters, Short makes a significant contribution to Newman studies by treating his ambivalent relationships with three contemporaries: Richard Holt Hutton (1826-97), an editor of the influential Spectator; Matthew Arnold (1822-88), professor of poetry at Oxford; and Arthur Hugh Clough (1819-61), once, like Newman, a fellow of Oriel College. Although Newman intellectually challenged all three men, none of them were ever persuaded to follow his footsteps into the Roman Catholic Church. Last but not least, the book concludes with an intriguing portrait of "Newman on Newman."

Although readers may disagree with some of the author's opinions and question some of his comparisons, the wide-ranging—although sometimes meandering—discussions in this book are both fascinating and thought provoking. Unfortunately, in spite of the author's encyclopedic knowledge of Victoriana, readers will be surprised to find a number of historical mistakes: Keble's "Assize Sermon" was preached on July 14, 1833, not July 13 (p. 28); Newman's reception into the Roman Catholic Church was on October 9, 1845, not October 29 (p. 217); Newman was created a cardinal in 1879, not 1877 (photo caption of Pope Leo XIII); and so forth.

Such flaws not withstanding—etiam Homerus dormitabat—Newman aficionados will warmly welcome this volume. The paperback is certainly well worth the price, although the price of the hardback seems exorbitant. Readers can look forward to Short's promised sequel on Newman and his family.