“An examination of the differences between clergymen in Elizabeth Inchbald’s A Simple Story and Ann Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest indicates some of the philosophical changes that were taking place throughout Europe and specifically in England by 1791, the year that both books were published. Not only do these novels illustrate a marked difference between Catholic and Protestant clergy, but also acknowledge a growing perception of individualism as a philosophic precept. Inchbald’s priests are stern, unyielding, forbidding representations of a paternalistic ideology in which the moral authority is unquestionable. Radcliffe’s pastor, on the other hand, is a benevolent, serene shepherd of his flock who leads by example rather than inflexible rule.”