Politics, Religion and the Song of Songs in Seventeenth-Century England

by Clarke, Elizabeth

• ISBN13: 9780333714119
• ISBN10: 0333714113
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-03-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

This book explores the use of the Biblical text of the Song of Songs in seventeenth-century England. It charts the period's fascination with the idea of the mystical marriage, and shows how this image was implicated in the conflicts and political struggles of the time. It investigates the appeal of the Song of Songs to women authors and popular writers, and helps to explain some of the extraordinary developments in seventeenth-century English culture.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Clarke is Reader in English at Warwick University, UK, where she leads the Perdita Project investigating women's manuscript writing in the Early Modern period. She has published many articles and led research projects which combine the study of literature with theology and early modern history.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Note on reference to the text

Introduction

Two Weddings and a Funeral: Royal Brides and National Identity 1603-1625

The Mysticall Marriage, Martyrology and Arminianism 1625-1640

Emblematic Marriage at the 1630s Court

From Annotations to Commentary: New Spectacles on the Song of Songs

The Seventeenth-Century Woman Writer and the Bride

Politics, Metaphor and the Song of Songs in the 1670s

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Poet: Baptists and the Bride

Conclusion: The End of Protestant History and the Beginning of the Eighteenth Century

Notes

Bibliography

Index

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