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Persuasion and Conversion: Essays on Religion, Politics, and the Public Sphere in Early Modern England

By (author) Torrance Kirby

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The early modern â€˜public sphereâ€™ emerges out of a popular â€˜culture of persuasionâ€™ fostered by the Protestant Reformation. By 1600, religious identity could no longer be assumed as â€˜givenâ€™ within the hierarchical institutions and elaborate apparatus of late-medieval â€˜sacramental cultureâ€™. Reformers insisted on a sharp demarcation between the inner, subjective space of the individual and the external, public space of institutional life. Gradual displacement of sacramental culture was achieved by means of argument, textual interpretation, exhortation, reasoned opinion, and moral advice exercised through both pulpit and press. This alternative culture of persuasion presupposes a radically distinct notion of mediation. The common focus of the essays collected here is the dynamic interaction of religion and politics which provided a crucible for the emerging modern â€˜public sphereâ€™.