A Tale of the Christ 1.0


Category: Books
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Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a novel by Lew Wallace published on November 12, 1880 by Harper & Brothers. Wallace's work is part of an important sub-genre of historical fiction set among the characters of the New Testament. The novel was a phenomenal best-seller; it soon surpassed Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the best-selling American novel and retained this distinction until the 1936 publication of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. In 1912, Sears Roebuck published one million copies to sell for 39 cents apiece: the largest single-year print edition in American history. The book was also the first work of fiction to be blessed by a Pope.

Lew Wallace said that he wrote Ben-Hur as a way to sort out his own beliefs about God and Christ. In doing so he inspired many readers by combining romanticism and spiritual piety common in sentimental novels of the 19th century with the action and adventure found in the more vulgar stories of the day. It prompted many clergy to reverse their church's long-held opposition to novels and actually encourage their congregations to read Ben-Hur, as a result helping it to become one of the best selling novels of its time. It not only helped wipe away any lingering American resistance to the novel, it was instrumental in introducing many Christian audiences to theater and film.

Ben-Hur has been very popular, often appearing on lists of great American literature, which has been a source of frustration for many literary critics over the years. Critics point to problems such as flat characters and dialogue, unlikely coincidences that drive the plot and tedious and lengthy descriptions of settings. But other critics say it is highly entertaining and engrossing with a well structured plot and exciting story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Hur_(novel)
A Tale of the Christ



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