“Our failures are errors not crimes”: The Concept of Sin in The Nemesis of Faith by James Anthony Froude

The Nemesis of Faith (1849), written by James Anthony Froude, is assessed by Paola Partenza. This text is rarely investigated in the contemporary
period, while its provocative queries made it foremost among the challenging texts of the period. Ciaran Brady stresses that republication of the novel occurred at numerous points, regardless of its burning at Exeter College refectory at one point. Indeed, Froude himself exclaimed in 1880 to John Skelton, a friend, that he would not permit its reprinting while he was alive. Julia Markus noted that The Nemesis of Faith was perceived as a handbook for adultery and a representation of Froude’s personal psyche, while Froude declared the text to be a “dust storm”. Opposition was open to Froude and his text among the severest conservatives of the period, with easy disagreement on the basis of the text’s perceived immoral nature. Given the emphasis on appropriate behaviour in Victorian society, the Nemesis of Faith was condemned for its unprincipled character. I suggest that Froude was seeking to show that the liberty of humans is the straightforward reason for sin, with individuals unable to elude the intricate net of uncertainties that results and that characterises sin; in this regard, the text may be considered as a precise assessment of the theological and moral spheres.