The Letter From Prison
Literature of Cultural Resistance in Early Modern England
Penn State University Press · Print & ebook · July 30, 2024
Letters from prison testifying to deeply felt ethical principles have a long history, extending from antiquity to the present day.
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- Who it’s for
- Gilpin traces how English prison letters became a literary form of political and religious resistance.
- Genres
- 17th-Century Literary Criticism, Letters & Correspondence, 17th-Century History
- Published
- Penn State University Press, July 30, 2024
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Letters from prison testifying to deeply felt ethical principles have a long history, extending from antiquity to the present day. In the early modern era, the rise of printing houses helped turn these letters into a powerful form of political and religious resistance. W. Clark Gilpin’s fascinating book examines how letter writers in England—ranging from archbishops to Quaker women—consolidated the prison letter as a literary form.
Continue reading
Drawing from a large collection of printed prison letters written from the reign of Henry VIII to the closing decades of the seventeenth century, Gilpin explores the genre's many facets within evolving contexts of reformation and revolution. The writers of these letters portrayed the prisoner of conscience as a distinct persona and the prison as a place of redemptive suffering where bearing witness had the power to change society. The Letter from Prison features a diverse cast of characters and a literary genre that combines drama and inspiration. It is sure to appeal to those interested in early modern England, prison literature, and cultural forms of resistance. Read more
English Prison Letters
Gilpin traces how English prison letters became a literary form of political and religious resistance.
Come here for
- Printed prison letters from Henry VIII’s reign through the seventeenth century
- Prisoners of conscience and resistance through writing
Expect
- Archbishops and Quaker women among the letter writers
- Changing contexts of reformation and revolution
Where it sits
| 17th-Century History | 38% |
|---|---|
| 17th-Century Literary Criticism | 37% |
| Letters & Correspondence | 36% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- British & Irish Literary Criticism
- 16th-Century Literary Criticism
- 17th-Century Literary Criticism
- Politics in Literature
Show all 5 publisher categories
- Religion in Literature
- Authors
- W. Clark Gilpin
- Publisher
- Penn State University Press
- Published
- July 30, 2024
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- British & Irish Literary Criticism