The Blind Devotion of the People
Summary
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The Blind Devotion of the People by Robert Whiting
The religious revolution known as the 'Reformation' must rank among the most crucial and transforming events in English history. Yet its original reception by the English people remains largely obscure. Did they welcome the innovations - or did they resist? By what internal motivations were their responses determined? And by what external influences were their attitudes shaped? These are the key issues explored by Robert Whiting in this major investigation, based primarily on original research in the south-west. Dr Whiting's controversial conclusion is that for most of the population the Reformation was less a conversion from Catholicism to Protestantism than a transition from religious commitment to religious passivity or even indifference.
'Not for a long time has such a wealth of evidence upon popular religion at the Reformation been collected, nor so meticulously organized … No one interested in the Reformation should miss this scholarly and significant book' Susan Brigden, The Times Higher Education Supplement
'[The Blind Devotion of the People] delves down beyond the landed elite into the ranks of 'ordinary' people. It uses endowments and architecture, drama and writing, to brilliant effect … Its thumbnail sketches are superb … This is a rounded and convincing, and often moving, analysis of a society faced with the shattering of its traditions, deeply enjoyable to read. And it is a model of what could and should be done with that most fascinating and elusive of historical problems.' Jenny Wormald, The Glasgow Herald
'[The Blind Devotion of the People] delves down beyond the landed elite into the ranks of 'ordinary' people. It uses endowments and architecture, drama and writing, to brilliant effect … Its thumbnail sketches are superb … This is a rounded and convincing, and often moving, analysis of a society faced with the shattering of its traditions, deeply enjoyable to read. And it is a model of what could and should be done with that most fascinating and elusive of historical problems.' Jenny Wormald, The Glasgow Herald
Robert Whiting is the author of You Gotta Have Wa and is one of the very few Westerners to write a regular column in the Japanese press. He has appeared as a commentator in documentaries about Japan and on such shows as Larry King Live and The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour. He has also written for The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, and Time, among other publications. He lives in Tokyo.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780521424394 |
| ISBN 10 | 0521424399 |
| Title | The Blind Devotion of the People |
| Author | Robert Whiting |
| Series | Cambridge Studies In Early Modern British History |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 1991-10-17 |
| Number of pages | 316 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |