Biblical Readings and Literary Writings in Early Modern England, 1558-1625
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:5th Apr '18
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The Bible had a profound impact on early modern culture, and bible-reading shaped the period's drama, poetry, and life-writings, as well as sermons and biblical commentaries. This volume provides an account of the how the Bible was read and applied in early modern England. It maps the connection between these readings and various forms of writing and argues that literary writings bear the hallmarks of the period's dominant exegetical practices, and do interpretative work. Tracing the impact of biblical reading across a range of genres and writers, the discussion demonstrates that literary reimaginings of, and allusions to, the Bible were common, varied, and ideologically evocative. The book explores how a series of popularly interpreted biblical narratives were recapitulated in the work of a diverse selection of writers, some of whom remain relatively unknown. In early modern England, the figures of Solomon, Job, and Christ's mother, Mary, and the books of Song of Songs and Revelation, are enmeshed in different ways with contemporary concerns, and their usage illustrates how the Bible's narratives could be turned to a fascinating array of debates. In showing the multifarious contexts in which biblical narratives were deployed, this book argues that Protestant interpretative practices contribute to, and problematize, literary constructions of a range of theological, political, and social debates.
...is a convincingly argued and well--written work that shows the penneance of the Bible onto the literary culture of Early Modern England as well as the complexities in its interpretation that still resonate and exist in our literary classics today. * Tanner J. Moore, Purdue University, Anglican and Episcopal History *
This adaptation of Victoria Brownlee's doctoral thesis provides a fresh addition to the recent trend of literary and historicist evaluations of the Bible's role in early modern England, devoting much-needed attention to reading practices and hermeneutics...The book combines a meticulous knowledge of existing scholarship (the vigour of Brownlee's footnotes deserves its own commendation) with many vibrant close readings of overlooked texts, and it will no doubt prove a boon to any scholar of early modern religious culture. * Ezra Horbury, University College London, Modern Language Review *
This book is welcome: it is a well-grounded, thoroughly researched look at literary works through the lens of biblical typology. ... we owe Brownlee a debt of gratitude for deepening our acquaintance with several less-familiar literary works and convincing us anew of the centrality of biblical modes of interpretation to the authors of this period. * Margaret Christian, Spenser Review *
an exciting new contribution to discussions of early modern religion and literature... Biblical Readings and Literary Writings in Early Modern England, 1558-1625 offers an illuminating account of how, why, when, where and by whom Bibles were read in early modern England, as well as a series of case studies of particular characters or passages in the Old and New Testaments. * New Books Network *
ISBN: 9780198812487
Dimensions: 218mm x 148mm x 22mm
Weight: 462g
272 pages