A Review of Cardinal Newman's Loss and Gain

Written by John Henry Newman, one of the greatest religious figures of the nineteenth century, Loss and Gain is a philosophical novel describing a young man's conversion to Catholicism in early Victorian Oxford. It is based on Newman's own story of conversion during his youth when he attended Oxford. This book has never received the amount of attention it has deserved, but Newman valued it enough to rank it as one of his major works.

Taking the place of Newman in the novel is a young man named Charles Reding placed in the mid 19th century. Reding is uninformed and sensitive yet makes decisive moves at his own pace. Discussions held during parties and class, visits to family in Devonshire, and everyday living constitute the little action throughout the book. The reader follows the growth in Charles' mind as he quietly observes and participates in these discussions. Philosophical conversations maintain a prominent position, leaving a lack of actions characteristic of a novel of Newman's time. Reding's mind, heart and will are gradually transformed from a Protestant viewpoint to eventual conversion to Catholicism. The seed is planted, it seems, when Reding's close friend converts to Catholicism and decides not to return to Oxford because of its Protestant influence. The friend tries to persuade Reding to follow the Truth: "O my dear Reding, what I say is, 'Come and see.' Don't stand at the door arguing; but enter the great home of the soul, enter and adore." [1]

At first, Reding does not closely follow his classmates' discussions about the Papacy and the Roman Church. But the seed of grace begins to blossom, and he starts to research these debates. The debates begin to unfold when Reding discovers a growing sensitivity with material object in the Anglican Church. As he reorients his doctrine towards the Roman Church, he sees that the Eucharist (among other objects) is just a thing to the Anglican Church. [2] Reding begins to solo this path of going forward, then retreating until he finally creates the next big chapter in his life with conversion.

The theme of Loss and Gain is Romanistic, depicting a youth whose world is opening up, presenting choices to be made between rivalry and loyalties. Reding renounces Oxford for what he sees as the higher ideal. He visits an old college professor and confirms the college rumors, "What would He have me to do? I cannot risk the conviction that is upon me. This last week it has possessed me in a different way than ever before. It is now so strong, that to wait longer is to resist God. Whether I join the Catholic Church is now simply a matter of days. I wish, dear Campbell, to leave you in peace and love." [3] The reader can learn a lesson from Newman's conversion novel that commitment is possible in the rough of daily life. This overall theme shapes the incredible outcome of the book.

This novel deserves proper appreciation from modern readers because of its particular emphasis on a personal conversion that was later to benefit the Catholic Church in a Providential manner. Besides being regarded as a philosophical novel, Loss and Gain is a novel of conversion.

I highly recommend Loss and Gain as an intellectual novel that must be read by Catholics wishing to gain a greater perspective on the great conversion of Cardinal Newman. It can be found on Amazon and AbeBooks for an inexpensive cost.



Book Details:
Loss and Gain (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012)
ISBN: 978-1-58617-705-8


[1] Newman, John Henry, Loss and Gain, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986), 79
[2] Bellows, Alyssa, "Cardinal Joh Henry Newman's One Thing Needful: The Spiritual Necessity of the Material in Loss and Gain," Religion and Literature 48, no. 1 (2016), 71-97
[3] Newman, John Henry, Loss and Gain, 237
[4] Photo of Cardinal Newman, accessed 16 August 2018, at Catholicgentleman.net