Impact of reformation on english literature
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HOMEWORK HELP > THE LITERATURE OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
Discuss the impact of the Reformation on English literature.
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The English Reformation moved religious authority from the Roman Catholic Church to the bible and the individual conscience, asserting that a person could be in a direct relationship with God that was unmediated by priest or confessional booth. People, of course, were expected to shift their allegiance to the Church of England and obey its authority, but in reality, many shifted further over, into what were called "Dissenting" forms of Protestantism that called into question "high church" authority of any sort. This move to more radical Protestantism contributed both to the establishment of the American colonies and the English Revolution.
This emphasis on individual interiority had a strong impact on English literature. Because authority shifted to the bible, or "sola scripture," and because people were meant to read the bible themselves, it was translated into English, first via many unauthorized translations, such as the Geneva Bible, and finally in the authorized but more conservative King James version. Literacy was encouraged so that people could read the bible. People were also encouraged to keep journals in order to examine their consciences and make sure they were not falling away from God's will in any way. Many critics have attributed the rise of the English novel to the interiority encouraged by this kind of confessional journaling. Novels such as Robinson Crusoe are based on this format, and the confessional format can even be traced in such later works as Wordworth's The Prelude, in which the narrator likens himself to a prophet and embarks on a minute examination of his interior development as a poet. Of course, closer in time to the Reformation, Protestant poems such as Milton's Paradise Lost had a profound influence on English literature, as did the language of the King James Bible.
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HOMEWORK HELP > THE LITERATURE OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
Discuss the impact of the Reformation on English literature.
print Print document PDF list Cite
EXPERT ANSWERS
TEACHERSAGE | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
The English Reformation moved religious authority from the Roman Catholic Church to the bible and the individual conscience, asserting that a person could be in a direct relationship with God that was unmediated by priest or confessional booth. People, of course, were expected to shift their allegiance to the Church of England and obey its authority, but in reality, many shifted further over, into what were called "Dissenting" forms of Protestantism that called into question "high church" authority of any sort. This move to more radical Protestantism contributed both to the establishment of the American colonies and the English Revolution.
This emphasis on individual interiority had a strong impact on English literature. Because authority shifted to the bible, or "sola scripture," and because people were meant to read the bible themselves, it was translated into English, first via many unauthorized translations, such as the Geneva Bible, and finally in the authorized but more conservative King James version. Literacy was encouraged so that people could read the bible. People were also encouraged to keep journals in order to examine their consciences and make sure they were not falling away from God's will in any way. Many critics have attributed the rise of the English novel to the interiority encouraged by this kind of confessional journaling. Novels such as Robinson Crusoe are based on this format, and the confessional format can even be traced in such later works as Wordworth's The Prelude, in which the narrator likens himself to a prophet and embarks on a minute examination of his interior development as a poet. Of course, closer in time to the Reformation, Protestant poems such as Milton's Paradise Lost had a profound influence on English literature, as did the language of the King James Bible.
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