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About the Book
John Oliver Hobbes, the pen name of Anglo-American novelist Pearl Richards Craigie, published Robert Orange in 1900 as a direct sequel to her earlier success The School for Saints from 1897. Craigie, a devout convert to Roman Catholicism following a difficult divorce, poured a lot of her own religious conviction into this novel.
Set in the political and aristocratic circles of 1869 Victorian England, the story follows Robert Orange, a brilliant, devout man whose recent marriage to Mrs. Parflete collapses almost immediately when they discover her supposedly dead first husband is actually still alive. Because of Robert’s strict Catholic faith, this makes his marriage invalid, forcing him to separate from the woman he loves. The rest of the novel traces his agonizing internal struggle between his genuine worldly ambitions, a promising political career and real romantic longing, and his rigid religious asceticism. Complicating things further is Lady Sara De Treverell, who is in love with Robert herself and has to weigh marrying for social advancement against pursuing what looks like an impossible love. In the end, Robert’s faith wins out over both political ambition and romance: he walks away from his career, his wealth, and any hope of romantic fulfillment to enter the priesthood.
The novel is built entirely around the tension between religious conviction and worldly success, using Robert’s dilemma to critique the rigid social and marital expectations of Victorian high society along the way. It’s also fairly unflinching about the real personal cost of strict moral absolutism, refusing to pretend that choosing faith over love comes without genuine loss.
Craigie moved in a notably bohemian social circle for a religious novelist, one that included the writer George Moore, a former lover, and the illustrator Aubrey Beardsley, and her male pen name let her publish serious, theologically dense fiction without her gender working against how critics received it.
Quick Facts
| Title | Robert Orange |
|---|---|
| Author | John Oliver Hobbes (1867–1906) |
| First Published | 1900 |
| Genre | Literary Fiction |
| Format | |
| Price | Free |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Robert Orange free to download?
Yes. Published in 1900, the novel is fully in the public domain.
Who was John Oliver Hobbes really?
A pen name for Pearl Richards Craigie, an Anglo-American novelist and Catholic convert who used a male name to be taken seriously as a writer of serious fiction.
Is this a standalone novel?
No. It’s a direct sequel to Craigie’s earlier novel, The School for Saints.
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