One Poor Scruple

The Catholic University of America Press is proud to present new volumes in its Catholic Women Writers series, which will shed new light on prose work of Catholic women writers from the 19th and 20th centuries. One Poor Scruple, by Josephine Ward, is a coming-of-age story in which the new generation of more worldly Catholics searches for love, friendship, and intellectual emancipation in the decadent social world of Edwardian London. The novel examines the challenge of discerning between conflicting desires and living a life that is as truthful and good as it is beautiful.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 456 pages
Publication date: 13 January 2023
Publisher: The Catholic University of America Press

The Catholic University of America Press is thrilled to announce the continuation of its Catholic Women Writers series, which aims to shed new light on the prose works of Catholic women writers from the 19th and 20th centuries. Josephine Ward is a remarkable literary treasure and a significant contributor to English literary history, yet she has largely been forgotten in the historical narrative. Throughout her life, she closely associated with the most influential minds of the late 19th century, dedicated to restoring the intellectual, sacramental, and theological integrity of the Catholic Church in England, which had been eroded over three hundred years of persecution. Despite the once high acclaim her novels received in the fin de siècle literary world, all seven of them are now out of print.

Published in 1899, "One Poor Scruple" follows the recusant Riversdale family, who have managed to survive the long penal years by leading a quiet aristocratic life focused on sport and agriculture, avoiding any involvement in the public sphere that Catholics in Britain had been excluded from for so long. However, at the turn of the twentieth century, a new generation emerges. The younger characters in the novel are now legally allowed to attend Oxford and Cambridge and engage in the public life of letters, inspired by the confident work of John Henry Newman. Nonetheless, they are cautioned not to trust the Protestant establishment.

"One Poor Scruple" is a captivating coming-of-age story that delves into the experiences of the new generation of more worldly Catholics as they navigate the decadent social world of Edwardian London. Decades before Evelyn Waugh explored the human struggle to discern between true and false beauty in "Brideshead Revisited," Ward's novel offers a profound examination of this very subject. Through its vivid portrayal of characters and their search for love, friendship, and intellectual emancipation, "One Poor Scruple" provides a valuable insight into the lives of Catholic women during a transformative period in English history.

Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813236025