Hell is other theologians
Elizabeth Jane Howard
Hell And The Victorians Geoffrey Rowell (Clarendon Press £4.85)
The title of this book is misleading. Most people would infer from it that they were in for a study of how Victorian society reacted to the various current attitudes and beliefs about the validity and the nature of Hell — not to mention Heaven, Death and Judgement. An interesting idea: anyone wishing to discuss Victorian society as a whole in relation to almost any aspect of morality is on to a good thing. Unfortunately, after a brief introduction leading one to believe in the relevance of the title, Dr Rowell then plunges firmly into the historical development of Christian eschatology (Judaism and the New Testament up to Unitarianism). After that, and it would. be fair to say that there is a sub-title, the book is simply an account of what Victorian theologians discussed, believed and argued
about in respect of the Four Last Things (heaven, hell, death and judgement).
Speaking from the vulgar position of ignorance, I found this very disappoiriting. 1),r. Rowell's prose style is like having your moot' perpetually full of dry cereal without ever, being able to swallow. Things are without interest" (oh yes they are!), and he 15 quite capable of using the same word four times in a short paragraph. He writes like a, man who has never heard himself speak an° observed the effect, who neither knows nor cares whether he catches or hangs on to the attention of his readers. It is hard to knoll; whether the author of a subject which has become esoteric actually hopes to enlarge 4s audience and to rekindle the interest taken It it but if he doesn't, what other aim can he have? To inform fellow-theologians or people interested in theology of his findings? PerhaPs from a purely scholastic point of view that might do, but it does seem rather a pity wileit he is writing about the salient points of such a fundamentally and universally interesting subject. I can only suppose that any history 'pure' theological controversies cannot, by It nature, be for me.
Elizabeth Jane Howard is at the moment e gaged in writing a novel.
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