Book Description
The seventeenth century gave rise to the greatest flowering of the religious lyric in the English language. While the whole range of the devotional verse of the period is distinguished by its nuanced complexity concerning issues of theology, politics, and the historical circumstances of the individuals who produced these lyrics, modern criticism has neglected the vast majority of these works and their authors. The purpose of this volume, therefore, is to discover and (re)cover the devotional lyricists who have historically been overlooked altogether or dismissed as not belonging to the first order of poets. Precisely focused on that end, this collection contains 15 original essays that broaden our understanding of the seventeenth century religious lyric by examining the contributions of such writers as Robert Southwell, Aemilia Lanyer, William Alabaster, William Drummond, William Austin, Patrick Carey and others. Our view of seventeenth century literature cannot be complete or accurate unless we account for these neglected writers and their cultural roles in the development of the religious lyric. To that end, each of the essays in this volume seeks either explicitly or implicitly to make the canon more inclusive rather than exclusive. Contributors Patrick Cook Patricia Demers Robert Evans Ann Hurley George Klawitter Donna Long Kari B. McBride Sean McDowell Kate Narveson Paul Parrish Scott R. Pilarz Michael Rex Debra Rienstra Barry Spurr Paul G. Stanwood Claude Summers

About the Author
Eugene R. Cunnar is professor of English at New Mexico State University. He is coeditor of Major Women Writers in Seventeenth-Century England. Dr. Cunnar currently serves as executive director of the John Donne Society of America. Jeffrey Johnson is professor of English at College Misericordia. He is the author of The Theology of John Donne and is a contributing editor for two volumes of The Variorium Edition of the Poetry of John Donne.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The seventeenth century gave rise to the greatest flowering of the religious lyric in the English language. While the whole range of the devotional verse of the period is distinguished by its nuanced complexity concerning issues of theology, politics, and the historical circumstances of the individuals who produced these lyrics, modern criticism has neglected the vast majority of these works and their authors.

The purpose of this volume, therefore, is to discover and (re)cover the devotional lyricists who have historically been overlooked altogether or dismissed as not belonging to the first order of poets. Precisely focused on that end, this collection contains 15 original essays that broaden our understanding of the seventeenth century religious lyric by examining the contributions of such writers as Robert Southwell, Aemilia Lanyer, William Alabaster, William Drummond, William Austin, Patrick Carey and others.

Our view of seventeenth century literature cannot be complete or accurate unless we account for these neglected writers and their cultural roles in the development of the religious lyric. To that end, each of the essays in this volume seeks either explicitly or implicitly to make the canon more inclusive rather than exclusive.

FROM THE CRITICS

Booknews

Contributors, mostly consisting of English scholars at US universities, present 15 essays addressing the 17th century religious lyric, focusing on the heretofore neglected contributions of such writers as Robert Southwell, Aemilia Lanyer, William Alabaster, and others. Emphasis is placed on Anglo-Catholic, High Anglican, and women writers, most of whom the authors assert have mostly been neglected in recent criticism. As well as addressing the wide variety and complexity of these neglected poems, contributors attempt to assess the theology, politics, and historical circumstances of the authors. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

ACCREDITATION

Eugene R. Cunnar is professor of English at New Mexico State University. He is coeditor of Major Women Writers in Seventeenth-Century England. Dr. Cunnar currently serves as executive director of the John Donne Society of America.