The Catholicism of literature in the age of the Book of Common Prayer

Poetry, plays, works, 1558-1689

Thomas Rist

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9781526183309
• eBook ISBN: 9781526183293
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Medieval & Early Modern Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Offering a complete reading of English Literature throughout 1558-1689, this book demonstrates the continuity of Roman Catholicism in English Literature from the accession of Elizabeth I to the deposing of James II. Rist shows that poetry and plays promoted Roman Catholic ideas in a Biblicist age which established the Church of England through the Book of Common Prayer. From the very idea of literary works to chapters on the Eucharist, Purgatory, Christian worship and the Virgin Mary, Rist joins together major and minor authors of the era to present English Literature afresh. Important literary figures include William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton, Queen Henrietta Maria, John Donne, John Dryden, Robert Herrick, Margaret Cavendish and Aphra Behn.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction: Works of literature in the age of the Book of Common Prayer
• 1: Works, epitaphs, poetry
• 2: The Eucharist: Sacrificial works on stage
• 3: Purgatory and the stage
• 4: Catholic worship and devotional poetry
• 5: Mary of recusants and reform
• 6: What's in a name?: The Virgin Mary on stage
• Concluding thoughts: Works of literature again
• Bibliography
• Index