# How does Eminent Victorians develop the theme of Ambition and Worldly Success?

> Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey

## Answer

Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey develops Ambition and Worldly Success across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

The narratives of Manning and others explore the psychological conflict between personal ambition, desire for power and status, and the spiritual or moral ideals that supposedly governed Victorian public life.

Manning's career is portrayed as a triumph of practical ability and ambition, allowing him to navigate and succeed in a modern, progressive society while embodying ancient ecclesiastical traditions.

Manning's relentless ambition is a central theme, from his early political dreams to his eventual acceptance of a clerical career.

Manning's diary reveals his intense conflict between worldly ambition (honour, preferment, society) and his spiritual ideals, a key theme in his personal crisis.

## Evidence

- [cardinal-manning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/eminent_victorians_se/chapters/cardinal-manning.md): Manning's career is portrayed as a triumph of practical ability and ambition, allowing him to navigate and succeed in a modern, progressive society while embodying ancient ecclesiastical traditions.
- [i](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/eminent_victorians_se/chapters/i.md): Manning's relentless ambition is a central theme, from his early political dreams to his eventual acceptance of a clerical career.
- [iv](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/eminent_victorians_se/chapters/iv.md): Manning's diary reveals his intense conflict between worldly ambition (honour, preferment, society) and his spiritual ideals, a key theme in his personal crisis.
- [v](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/eminent_victorians_se/chapters/v.md): Manning's rapid rise from a middle-aged neophyte to Archbishop of Westminster is depicted as a result of his ambition and strategic maneuvering.
- [vi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/eminent_victorians_se/chapters/vi.md): Manning's 'born autocrat' appetite for dominion and his strategic maneuvering to consolidate power highlight the theme of ambition in religious leadership.
- [vii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/eminent_victorians_se/chapters/vii.md): Manning's skillful maneuvering and influence at the Council, earning him the epithet 'Il Diavolo del Concilio,' illustrate his personal ambition and worldly success within the Church hierarchy.
- [viii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/eminent_victorians_se/chapters/viii.md): Manning's long career culminates in being made a Cardinal, a 'Princedom of the Church,' highlighting his ambition and eventual worldly success.
- [ix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/eminent_victorians_se/chapters/ix.md): Manning's near-election to the papacy and the political maneuvering over Newman's cardinalate highlight the interplay of ambition, power, and ecclesiastical honour.

## Links

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