Abstract: This paper explores the intertwined evolution of atheism and blasphemy in nineteenth-century British literature, situating it within the broader sociopolitical and religious transformations of the era. It examines how growing secular movements challenged the hegemony of Christianity, particularly through influential figures like Thomas Paine, Richard Carlile, and Charles Bradlaugh. The paper analyses the philosophical roots of atheism—including the English mechanick tradition, nonconformist dissent, and the impact of the French Revolution—and how these traditions found literary expression in a growing body of freethought literature. It also investigates the role of personal disillusionment with religion, particularly through the lens of figures like Percy Shelley. Furthermore, the study addresses the legal and cultural consequences of these ideological shifts, highlighting the prosecutions for blasphemy as both a mechanism of suppression and a catalyst for reform. Drawing on a wide array of primary and secondary sources, the paper argues that literature not only mirrored the secularising tendencies of the century but also served as a powerful tool in challenging religious orthodoxy and reshaping public discourse.Ultimately, it reveals how literature became both a battleground and a beacon for the secular imagination.

Keywords:Atheism, Blasphemy, Nineteenth-Century Literature, Secularism, Victorian Britain, Freethought, Charles Bradlaugh, Thomas Paine, Religious Dissent, Legal History, Radicalism, Percy Shelley, Church-State Relations, Literary Criticism, Freedom of Expression.