A new Brontë-relatedd recently publsihed paper.ç
Megan Serfontein, Agnes Scott College I n England,
LURe: Literary Undergraduate Research, Volume 15 (Fall 2025), pp 82-91
Catholicism was the predominant religious tradition and the established state church from 597 AD until 1534 when King Henry the VIII established the Church of England. This ushered in a new era of dominant Protestantism, marked by the aggressive conversion of Catholics and the re-education of priests to Protestant Christianity. As a newly Protestant country surrounded by Catholic nations, a nationalistic pride emerged in England connected to Protestantism. By the Victorian era, the anti-Catholicism sentiment in England was less intense, but still a prevalent part of society. Particularly, it was noted “as un-English and idolatrous” (Herringer 1). Therefore, this hatred of Catholics as well as fear of the papacy was spouted through sermons, pamphlets, newspapers, and literature. One such author of anti-Catholic literature was Charlotte Brontë. This paper will explore the anti-Catholic sentiment in her works, particularly focusing on Brontë’s use of the ideological and cultural views of Victorian England, and likely her own, to deepen the understanding of her characters and propel plot development; this ultimately contributes to broader questions concerning religion and moral rigidity in the Victorian era.
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