Description
How did traditional beliefs about the supernatural change as a result of the Reformation, and what were the intellectual and cultural consequences? Following a masterly interpretative introduction, Peter Marshall traces the effects of the Reformers' assaults on established beliefs about the afterlife. He shows how debates about purgatory and the nature of hellfire acted as unwitting agents of modernization. He then turns to popular beliefs about angels, ghosts and fairies, and considers how these were reimagined and reappropriated when cut from their medieval moorings.
How did popular and elite beliefs about the next world, and about supernatural forces in this world, change and develop as a result of the Reformation?
About the Author
Peter Marshall is Professor of History at the University of Warwick and co-editor of The English Historical Review. He has published widely on many aspects of the religious culture of early modern Europe, particularly in the British Isles, and his books include Mother Leakey and the Bishop: A Ghost Story (2007), The Reformation: A Very Short Introduction (2009) and Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation (2017).
Reviews
'Invisible Worlds offers convincing proof of the central role played by conceptions of the supernatural and the afterlife in the religious upheavals of the early modern period . . . Peter Marshall's work is indispensable reading for anyone who desires to understand the intellectual and spiritual shaping of early modern England and of the Western imagination as well.' * Carlos Eire, Professor of History and Religious Studies, Yale University *
'With characteristic elegance and subtlety, Peter Marshall . . . shows how pastoral imperative sometimes bowed to popular belief, and how, simultaneously, Protestantism sowed the seeds of scepticism about the supernatural. Full of intriguing insights, Invisible Worlds will be warmly welcomed by scholars, students and general readers alike.' * Alexandra Walsham, Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge *
Book Information
ISBN 9780281075225
Author Professor Peter Marshall
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint SPCK Publishing
Publisher SPCK Publishing
Weight(grams) 432g
How did popular and elite beliefs about the next world, and about supernatural forces in this world, change and develop as a result of the Reformation?
About the Author
Peter Marshall is Professor of History at the University of Warwick and co-editor of The English Historical Review. He has published widely on many aspects of the religious culture of early modern Europe, particularly in the British Isles, and his books include Mother Leakey and the Bishop: A Ghost Story (2007), The Reformation: A Very Short Introduction (2009) and Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation (2017).
Reviews
'Invisible Worlds offers convincing proof of the central role played by conceptions of the supernatural and the afterlife in the religious upheavals of the early modern period . . . Peter Marshall's work is indispensable reading for anyone who desires to understand the intellectual and spiritual shaping of early modern England and of the Western imagination as well.' * Carlos Eire, Professor of History and Religious Studies, Yale University *
'With characteristic elegance and subtlety, Peter Marshall . . . shows how pastoral imperative sometimes bowed to popular belief, and how, simultaneously, Protestantism sowed the seeds of scepticism about the supernatural. Full of intriguing insights, Invisible Worlds will be warmly welcomed by scholars, students and general readers alike.' * Alexandra Walsham, Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge *
Book Information
ISBN 9780281075225
Author Professor Peter Marshall
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint SPCK Publishing
Publisher SPCK Publishing
Weight(grams) 432g
