The Catholicism of Literature in the Age of the Book of Common Prayer

This book offers a comprehensive reading of English Literature throughout 1558-1689, demonstrating the vital continuity of Roman Catholicism in English Literature from the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558 to the deposing of James II in 1689.
Focusing primarily on poetry and plays, it argues that English Literature was a significant means by which Roman Catholic ideas persisted during a time that established the Book of Common Prayer and the Church of England. Rist provides a new perspective on the Church's culture, and so of its wider relation to both Catholic and Protestant religions. The book examines both celebrated and lesser-known authors. Major literary figures include: William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton, Queen Henrietta Maria, Robert Southwell, John Donne, George Herbert, John Dryden, Robert Herrick, Margaret Cavendish and Aphra Behn.
This is a vigorous recognition of England's literary culture and its heritage, and will be essential reading for anyone interested in the interaction of literature and religion in the period, as well as those seeking to understand how English Literature flourished in a Biblicist age.