People and piety

Elizabeth Clarke is Professor Emeritus in English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of WarwickRobert W. Daniel is Associate Tutor in English at the University of Warwick.

'Situating itself broadly within the well-established field of "self fashioning" studies, but more particularly within the more recent "devotional turn" in historiography, this is a well-chosen, carefully structured... effective and handsomely produced volume... well-thought-out and stimulating... Much new research is to be found here.' Literature & History, R. C. Richardson'...all of the fine essays in this volume reflect the considerable time given by the contributors to the "otherness" of their subjects and, as a result, offer the reader fascinating insights into the variety of devotional identities in early modern England.'Baptist Quarterly, Karen E. Smith''This fine new volume... is predicated on the principle that it is through the detailed study of particular lives that we can come closest to appreciating early modern religion and religious writing. The result is a fascinating collection of new essays... I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone interested in the history, literature or religion of early modern England, and especially in the meeting of these elements in the endlessly fascinating devotional lives of its people.'Bunyan Studies, Helen Wilcox'This collection of fourteen essays provides a wealth of examples of the ways that devotional identities were formed and understood in early modern England... Whether a reader approaches the collection as a whole or dips into it according to her interests, she is sure to emerge with a deeper understanding of popular piety in early modern England.'Milton Quarterly, Brook Conti'In their important edited collection... Elizabeth Clarke and Robert W. Daniel succeed in their intention of demonstrating that “piety did not define people” in early modern England, for “it was people who defined their piety”. Responding to the recent devotional turn, and in particular, renewed calls to consider individuals’ lived religious practice, Clarke and Daniel bring together wide-ranging and interdisciplinary chapters that survey the breadth and vitality of Protestant devotional identities... This volume serves as a snapshot of the state of a flourishing field, a comprehensive and enlightening overview of the construction of devotional identities, and deserves to be widely consulted as a key survey of English Protestantism.'Journal of British Studies, Emily Vine'The volume's attention to the ‘lived religion’ of early modern England makes it a valuable resource for scholars working on religious history, literary studies, and material culture. The interdisciplinary breadth of the collection ensures that it will appeal to a wide readership, while its methodological insights offer important avenues for future research... Its methodological rigour and wealth of primary source analysis make it an essential text for historians and literary scholars alike.'Catherine Kerton-Johnson, History

• Foreword – John CoffeyIntroduction – Elizabeth Clarke and Robert W. DanielSECTION I: SITESPart I: Devotional identities in religious communities 1 What was devotional writing? Re-visiting the community at Little Gidding, 1626–33 – David Manning2 ‘HERSCHEPT HET HERT’: Katherine Sutton’s Experiences (1663), the printer’s device and the making of devotion – Michael DurrantPart II: Devotional identities in the household3 ‘A soul preaching to itself’: sermon note-taking and family piety – Ann Hughes4 The Act of Toleration, household worship and voicing dissent: Oliver Heywood’s A Family Altar (1693) – William J. SheilsPart III: Devotional identities in the theatre5 Devotional identity and the mother’s legacy in A Warning for Fair Women (1599) – Iman Sheeha6 Devotion, marriage, and mirth in The Puritan Widow (1607) – Robert O. YatesPart IV: Devotional identities in the prison7 ‘O this dark dungeon!’: murderers, martyrs and the ‘sacred space’ of the early modern prison – Lynn Robson8 Editing devotional identity: the compilation and reception of the prison prose of George Fox’s Journal (1694) – Catie GillSECTION II: TYPES Part V: Devotional identities in spiritual autobiographies9 Fathers and sons, conscience and duty in early modern England – Bernard Capp10 Dissenting devotion and identity in The Experience of Mary Franklin (d. 1711) – Vera J. CamdenPart VI: Devotional identities in religious poetry11 Loyalist and dissenting responses to George Herbert’s The Temple (1633) in the devotional writing of the 1640s–50s – Jenna Townend12 ‘Whom I never knew to Poetrize but now’: grief and passion in the devotional poetry of Richard Baxter – Sylvia BrownPart VII: Devotional identities in the ars moriendi13 ‘My sick-bed covenants’: scriptural patterns and model piety in the early modern sickchamber – Robert W. Daniel14 ‘Now the Lord hath made me a spectacle’: deathbed narratives and devotional identities in the early seventeenth century – Charles Green Afterword – N. H. KeebleIndex