SHORTHOUSE, JOSEPH HENRY

born Sept. 9, 1834, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Eng. died March 4, 1903, Edgbaston, near Birmingham novelist whose philosophical romance, John Inglesant, constitutes one of the very few examples of the novel of ideas in English literature. Set in England and Italy during the 17th century, the work is concerned with conflicts between church and state, the Church of England and the Roman Catholic church, ritualism and simplicity, and different views of the sacraments, as well as other subjects. The novel takes the form of long dialogues, incorporating unacknowledged quotations from various 17th-century writers. Shorthouse was brought up a Quaker, but, influenced by John Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelite artists and attracted by Anglicanism, he became a convert to the Church of England. The contrast between the author's upbringing and his adopted religion gives a particular colouring to John Inglesant, which Shorthouse began writing in 1866; it remained in manuscript until 1880, when 100 copies were privately printed. In 1881 it was published, and, highly praised by scientists, theologians, and politicians, it sold 9,000 copies within the year and has continued to attract readers. Shorthouse's other novels (including Sir Percival, 1886) were less successful.