SIN, RETRIBUTION, AND SPIRITUAL CHOICE IN THE NOVELS OF MARIE CORELLI

Abstract

Summary: Marie Corelli (1855–1924) occupies a distinctive position in late Victorian literature as a writer whose popular success was combined with a sustained engagement with moral and spiritual questions. Her novels The Sorrows of Satan (1895) and Vendetta: A Story of One Forgotten (1886) present ethical conflict not merely as social drama but as a manifestation of inner moral choice. In these works, sin is portrayed as a consequence of conscious ethical decisions rather than external coercion, while retribution functions primarily on a spiritual and psychological level. By examining temptation, revenge, and moral responsibility, Corelli articulates a vision of spiritual freedom grounded in individual accountability. The article analyzes these novels within the context of late Victorian moral thought, arguing that Corelli should be reconsidered as a serious moral thinker whose fiction reflects the ethical anxieties of her age.

Keywords: Victorian literature, sin, retribution, spiritual choice, moral responsibility