Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ - Reception

Reception

Since its first publication, Ben-Hur has never been out of print. It was considered "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century." By 1900 it had been printed in 36 English-language editions and translated into 20 other languages, including Indonesian and Braille. In 1912, Sears Roebuck published one million copies to sell for 39 cents apiece: the largest single-year print edition in American history. It outsold every book except the Bible until Gone With the Wind came out in 1936. After the 1959 release of the film based on the book, the novel returned to the top of the list in the 1960s. It often appears on popular 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 driving the plot, and tedious and lengthy descriptions of settings. But others note its well-structured plot and exciting story, with its unusual mix of romanticism, spiritual piety, action and adventure. A 1905 review from the New York Times noted that Ben Hur was Wallace's "Masterwork". It further noted, "Ben Hur appealed to the unsophisticated and unliterary. People who read much else of worth rarely read Ben Hur".

Many 19th-century American clergy encouraged their congregations to read Ben-Hur. Such religious support helped it to become one of the best-selling novels of its time. It not only reduced lingering American resistance to the novel as a literary form, but later adaptations were instrumental in introducing some Christian audiences to theater and film.