Oxford Movement

 

INTRODUCTION:

 “One only Way to life:

One faith, deliver’d once for all;

One holy Band, endow ‘d with Heaven’s high call;

One earnest, endless strife:

This is the Church, the Eternal framed of old.” 

– John Keble

 Oxford movement was originally a religious moment which we find during the 19th century. John Keble was the founder of this movement. It was a religious movement to reform Christianity and to rehabilitate the dignity of the church. 

 BEGINNING OF OXFORD MOVEMENT:

 The official beginning of the Oxford movement in English literature is marked by John Keble's Oxford assize Sermon (lecture) delivered on 14th July 1833. This lecture mainly focused on the decreasing power of Church or decrease in spiritual apathy among the Christian people.

 After this sermon of Keble, his two followers or disciples namely, Wilberforce and Isaac Williams further the made this movement more popular among the Christian people. John Henry Newman also who was teaching in Oxford Orien College became the leader of this Oxford movement.

 UNDERSTANDING OXFORD MOVEMENT:

 Oxford movement in English literature has a close connection with Christianity. So in order to understand Oxford movement we need to first understand Christianity. We know that Christian religion has to cults Catholics and Protestants.

 CATHOLICS:

When Romans came to England they established catholic religion in England. Catholicism believes that in order to attain God, we need to take help of the Bible and other spiritual scriptures.

 

PROTESTANTS:

Martin Luther, German religious reformer, came with a different ideology during the 16th century. He established a new cult of Christianity. He protested against catholic religion and established a new way of achieving God which was later on known as protestant Christianity. This is also known as Anglican Church. These Protestants believe that in order to achieve God you must have Faith in God; you need not read the spiritual or religious scriptures or books.

  During the 18th and 19th centuries, there were some orthodox followers of Catholic Church. They observed that the church has lost its power and importance from the hearts and minds of the people. They observed that people have stopped reading the Bible, stopped attending the church, stopped going to the church, stopped listening to the religious sermons. As a result, the Catholic followers published some Pamphlets which were known as 'Tracks for the Times' (1833-41). The authors of these Pamphlets were known as "Tractarians".

 They rejected the interference of politicians in the reform of this church. They popularized "Apostolic Tradition". It is believed that there were twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and Christianity was spread among the people through these apostles which taught the people different rituals and manners of Christianity.

 INFLUENCE OF OXFORD MOVEMENT ON ENGLISH LITERATURE:

 The Oxford movement has a connection with the movement of romanticism which derived inspiration from the Middle Ages the poets like Coleridge and Walter Scott turned their minds in the direction of middle ages. In ‘Biographia Literaria’ Coleridge writes on the subject of imagination and Newman recognized this imagination as "an indispensable mover controlling the development of human mind." The leaders of Oxford movement in religion also turned to middle ages in order to escape from the political and other interference in the church.

 This movement also inspired the poetry of Pre-Raphaelite poets like Christina Rossetti, Coventry Patmore, Richard Watson Dixon and so on. 

1. AGAINST RATIONALISM: 

18^th century politics and literature used rationalism. Science was developing faster in the beginning of the 19th century. As a result, people of this time had much faith in science and less faith in religion. They used their reason and logic to oppose the talks of miracles which were described in Catholic Christianity. But the followers of Oxford Movement went against this rationalism. In the literature which was influenced by Oxford movement too we find this anti nationalism where there is no scope for logic no scope for realism.  Hence, when we read the poetry and novels of 19^th century English literature, we find this element of anti-rationalism.

 2. ROMANTICISM:

This anti-rationalism was also romantic by nature. The romantic interest in the middle ages for their mystery and standard is one of the common factors which we find in the romantic poetry of Coleridge and Keats. Moody and Lovett believed that Oxford movement stood for "the Restoration of the poetry, the mystic ritual and service which had characterized the Catholic Church in the middle ages."

 3. ANTI-POLITICAL OR AGAINST ERASTIANISM:

The followers of Oxford movement opposed the control of the church by the politicians and the state. In the same manner, in literature too, the poets who were influenced by this movement wanted freedom from the Neo-classicism. They rejected the age old norms and strict rules of writing poetry. 

 Click to watch a video lecture.