Lord of the world book

Reading 1900-1950




Book Review by Sylvia D:
It’s striking that all the reviews that have been posted so far have been of dystopian novels. I wonder if that is a reflection of the strange and troublesome times we are living through.

My first choice was
Swastika Night
but I couldn’t get hold of a reasonably-priced copy so I’m glad Kathryn has reviewed it. I usually end up choosing novels that were published in the interwar period which reflects my interest in the history of this period, so I decided to try one from an earlier period and by an author I’d never heard of.



Robert Hugh Benson, the author of
Lord of the World
, published the year before Jack London’s
The Iron Heel
reviewed by Alice, was the youngest son of Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 to 1886 and was himself ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1895. Benson already tended towards the High Church tradition and in 1903 caused a sensation in Church of England circles by not only converting to Roman Catholicism but also being ordained a Roman Catholic priest. Alongside his ministry, Benson had a prolific output as a writer of historical, horror, science fiction and children’s

Summary of Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson



The Author
: Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914) was the youngest son of Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, and younger brother of Edward Frederic Benson. In 1895, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England by his father who was then Archbishop of Canterbury. After many years of questioning and soul-searching he was received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1903. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1904 and named a Monsignor in 1911. In his introduction to this novel, Benson remarks:


“I am perfectly aware that this is a terribly sensational book, and open to innumerable criticisms on that account, as well as on many others. But I did not know how else to express the principles I desired (and which I passionately believe to be true) except by producing their lines to a sensational point. I have tried, however, not to scream unduly loud, and to retain, so far as possible, reverence and consideration for the opinions of other people. Whether I have succeeded in that attempt is quite another matter.”



Summary:

Lord of the World
is a 1907 apocalyptic novel that describes a future where faith i

Lord of the World

September 25, 2015
At the turn of the 21st century, war between the states of Europe and the East threatens; at the midnight hour, however, comes an obscure American politician, a senator of no fame, whose cosmopolitan charm allows him to calm the troubled diplomatic waters and prevent a century of peace and prosperity from being overturned by strife. Hailed as a savior, the rising star becomes a pivotal figure in world affairs – but the epitome of modernity, this senator has a far darker role to play in cosmic history. He is the Antichrist, and his triumph means the end of the world is at hand.

Published in 1908, Lord of the World is a piece of Catholic fiction driven by conflict between Christian tradition and modernity. The prevailing drives of the 19th century seem to have achieved fruition in Lord of the World; democracy has triumphed over monarchy, social programs and psychology over religion, and -- in general – the material over the spiritual. Europeans across the board are irreligious, with the exception of what is left of the Catholic church, concentrated in Ireland and the City of Rome. There is a religious sentiment alive in the Europeans, a worsh

Introduction to Benson's "Lord of the World"



by Father John McCloskey


For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.
– Ephesians 6-12


And yet in spite of this universal world which we see, there is another world, quite as farspreading, quite as close to us, and more wonderful; another world all around us, though we see it not, and more wonderful than the world we see, for this reason if for no other, that we do not see it. All around us are numberless objects, coming and going, watching, working or waiting, which we see not: this is that other world, which the eyes reach not unto, but faith only.
– Blessed John Henry Newman from "The Invisible World"


Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson's
Lord of the World
is a novel about the Antichrist, who will tempt Christians to apostasy before Christ's Second Coming. It describes the final battle in the supernatural war for souls that has been fought continually both in heaven and on earth from the time of the Fall and will conclude with the general judgment; thereupon will