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King James I and the Religious Culture of England

King James I and the Religious Culture of England
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James I and the Religious Culture of England is a study of King James's influence, both direct and indirect, on various aspects of religious life in England during his reign. The book begins with an examination of the roots of James's religious thinking in the Protestant understanding of biblical monarchy, and his own experiences as king of Scotland, before turning to its main focus of James's English reign. It brings together literary, religious and political history to consider such topics as the poetic response to James accession, prophetic poetry at court, the neo-Latin religious epigram, the politics of conversion, and the biblical iconography of peace-making applied to James.

Going beyond the usual critical attention to the short devotional lyric, this study draws on such forms as religious narrative, philosophical or theological verse, works of religious satire and controversy, liturgical verse, and sermons. The book also focuses on writers whose works, both published and unpublished, have been relatively disregarded by scholars: John Davies of Hereford, Joshua Sylvester, Andrew Melville, Joseph Hall and George Wither are all given extended attention. James own attempt to provide a new English versification of the Psalms is examined within the broader context of other attempts to do the same.

Overall, the work argues that James was more interested in religious matters than in any other aspect of English culture at the time, but that this has not been reflected in recent literary scholarship on the period.

Boydell & Brewer Ltd.; October 2000
190 pages; ISBN 9781846150975
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