The Letter from Prison : Literature of Cultural Resistance in Early Modern England / W. Clark Gilpin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gilpin, W. Clark, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English literature--Early modern, 1500-1700--History and criticism.

English literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (261 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

University Park, PA : The Pennsylvania State University Press, [2024]

Summary:

Letters from prison testifying to deeply felt ethical principles have a long history, extending from antiquity to the present day. In the early modern era, the rise of printing houses helped turn these letters into a powerful form of political and religious resistance. W. Clark Gilpin’s fascinating book examines how letter writers in England—ranging from archbishops to Quaker women—consolidated the prison letter as a literary form.Drawing from a large collection of printed prison letters written from the reign of Henry VIII to the closing decades of the seventeenth century, Gilpin explores the genre's many facets within evolving contexts of reformation and revolution. The writers of these letters portrayed the prisoner of conscience as a distinct persona and the prison as a place of redemptive suffering where bearing witness had the power to change society.The Letter from Prison features a diverse cast of characters and a literary genre that combines drama and inspiration. It is sure to appeal to those interested in early modern England, prison literature, and cultural forms of resistance.

Contents:

Intro

COVER Front

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Witnesses

Notes to Chapter 1

Chapter 2: Inscribing Communities

Notes to Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Farewell

Notes to Chapter 3

Chapter 4: The Eyewitness

Notes to Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Experiencing Defeat

Notes to Chapter 5

Chapter 6: Transfiguring Space

Notes to Chapter 6

Chapter 7: "The Dungeon of Thyself"

Notes to Chapter 7

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780271097930

OCLC:

1442731662