Elizabeth Clarke
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263982
- eISBN:
- 9780191682698
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263982.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature, Theology
In 17th-century England the poet George Herbert became known as ‘Divine Herbert’, his poetry a model for those aspiring to the status of inspired Christian poet. This book explores the relationship ...
More
In 17th-century England the poet George Herbert became known as ‘Divine Herbert’, his poetry a model for those aspiring to the status of inspired Christian poet. This book explores the relationship between the poetry of George Herbert and the concept of divine inspiration rooted in devotional texts of the time. The book considers three very different treatises read and approved by Herbert: Savonarola’s De Simplicitate Christianae Vitae, Juan de Valdes’s The Hundred and Ten Considerations, and Francois de Sales’s Introduction to the Devout Life. These authors all saw literary production as implicit in a theological argument about the workings of the Holy Spirit. The book goes on to offer a new reading of many of Herbert’s poems, concluding that implanted in Herbert’s poetry are many well-established codes which to a 17th-century readership signified divine inspiration.Less
In 17th-century England the poet George Herbert became known as ‘Divine Herbert’, his poetry a model for those aspiring to the status of inspired Christian poet. This book explores the relationship between the poetry of George Herbert and the concept of divine inspiration rooted in devotional texts of the time. The book considers three very different treatises read and approved by Herbert: Savonarola’s De Simplicitate Christianae Vitae, Juan de Valdes’s The Hundred and Ten Considerations, and Francois de Sales’s Introduction to the Devout Life. These authors all saw literary production as implicit in a theological argument about the workings of the Holy Spirit. The book goes on to offer a new reading of many of Herbert’s poems, concluding that implanted in Herbert’s poetry are many well-established codes which to a 17th-century readership signified divine inspiration.
Keith Thomas
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263204
- eISBN:
- 9780191734205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263204.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
The large oeuvre of Gerald Aylmer, a historian of 17th-century England, can be divided into five main categories. First, there are the occasional studies which were stimulated by the institutions, ...
More
The large oeuvre of Gerald Aylmer, a historian of 17th-century England, can be divided into five main categories. First, there are the occasional studies which were stimulated by the institutions, people and places he encountered. The second category of Gerald's writings stems from his interest in 17th-century radicalism, the aspect of the period with which, like Christopher Hill, he was most warmly in sympathy. Thirdly, there are his general interpretative writings on the 17th century, notably the two text-books, The Struggle for the Constitution and Rebellion or Revolution? Fourthly, there are his essays in comparative history. Although never claiming any expertise outside the history of England, Ireland and colonial America, Gerald was always keen to set his findings into a larger picture. Finally, there is the work for which Gerald Aylmer will be longest remembered, namely his trilogy on 17th-century office-holders.Less
The large oeuvre of Gerald Aylmer, a historian of 17th-century England, can be divided into five main categories. First, there are the occasional studies which were stimulated by the institutions, people and places he encountered. The second category of Gerald's writings stems from his interest in 17th-century radicalism, the aspect of the period with which, like Christopher Hill, he was most warmly in sympathy. Thirdly, there are his general interpretative writings on the 17th century, notably the two text-books, The Struggle for the Constitution and Rebellion or Revolution? Fourthly, there are his essays in comparative history. Although never claiming any expertise outside the history of England, Ireland and colonial America, Gerald was always keen to set his findings into a larger picture. Finally, there is the work for which Gerald Aylmer will be longest remembered, namely his trilogy on 17th-century office-holders.
