Donne's Augustine
Renaissance Cultures of Interpretation
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:7th Jul '11
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The poet and preacher John Donne (1572-1631) was one of the most influential authors of early modern England. Donne's Augustine examines his response to an iconic figure in the history of Western religious thought: Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Katrin Ettenhuber argues that Renaissance culture saw not only a revival of the classics, but was equally indebted to the intellectual and literary legacy of the Church Fathers. The study recovers an Augustinian tradition of interpretation which permeated the religious world of the period, but which has until now been largely overlooked. She presents a comprehensive re-evaluation of Donne's writings, ranging from the poems to less familiar prose works, situates him carefully in the poetic, intellectual, and political contexts which frame his works, and engages with recent developments in both literary and historical studies. Donne's Augustine is the first sustained study of Donne's reading practices, and of the theological sources which shaped his thought. It discovers a range of medieval and early modern texts which transformed the imagination of literary writers in the period but which have been neglected so far: devotional manuals, Scripture commentaries, and religious commonplace books (often in Latin). The study pays close attention to the intellectual and political conditions which informed the reception of Augustine's works, and offers detailed readings of Donne's texts which illuminate the literary aspects of his patristic heritage. Donne's Augustine makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the larger reading and writing culture of Renaissance England, and of the religious debates and controversies in the decades leading up to the Civil War.
Ettenhuber's book is impressively thorough, very learned, and beautifylly written. * Sebastiaan Verwejj, Notes and Queries *
in Ettenhuber displays an admirable knowledge of Donne's religious prose, of many of the works of St. Augustine, and of the relationship between the two authors. ... it is more worthwhile than many recent publication in Donne scholarship, because it is better written and organized and offers more real learning. * John Donne Journal *
Katrin Ettenhuber not only demonstrates how an Augustinian tradition of interpretation strongly permeated the period of Donne's lifetime but also offers a range of interesting and innovative ways of reconsidering his writings within these theological and spiritual contexts ... [an] authoritative and elegantly written study * Michael G, Brennan, The Seventeenth Century *
Donne's Augustine offers both a richly rewarding history of early modern patristic reception and a series of finely tuned close readings This fine study opens up to us the channels of mediation between Donne and Augustine, and enhances our own understanding of early modern reading experiences. * Mary Ann Lund, Review of English Studies *
Simply put, Katrin Ettenhuber's Donne's Augustine is not only a magisterial examination of John Donne's reception and use of Augustine, but also a magisterial examination of his exegetical and hermeneutic practices ... One simply cannot say enough about what Ettenhuber has achieved in Donne's Augustine. It is a clearly organized narrative on Donne's growing relationship with one of the most important voices in the whole of to our understanding of Donne's methods of exegesis, the development of his philosophical hermeneutics, and his ability to negotiate the political follies of his time without losing sight of the religious and spiritual duties he was compelled, and called, to perform ... Donne's Augustine will play a central role in Donne scholarship for decades to come. * Mitchell M. Harris, Seventeenth-Century News *
This excellent study is the first sustained effort "to read Donne's reading of Augustine"; it will prove illuminating for anyone - including critics and historians - concerned with 16th- and 17th-century intellectual culture ... this is a necessary resource for institutions where Donne's prose is taught ... Essential. * E. D. Hill, Choice *
respectful, tactful, and assured scholarship * Russell M. Hillier, The Glass *
Donne's Augustine is a triumph of careful and creative scholarship and an exemplary, desk-level account of how Donne and his contemporaries read, thought, and wrote. * Gregory Kneidel, Modern Philology *
ISBN: 9780199609109
Dimensions: 241mm x 168mm x 24mm
Weight: 590g
288 pages