Puritanism and Revolution: Studies in Interpretation of the English Revolution of the 17th Century [Paperback]

Christopher Hill (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312174349 | ISBN-13: 978-0312174347 | Publication Date: October 15, 1997

This illuminating collection of essays assesses the 17th century, interpreting what used to be called "The Puritan Revolution," the ideas which helped to produce it and resulted from it, and the relations between these ideas and the political events of the day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A highly readable book which should absorb anyone who wants to know why English political and social history developed as it did." --Financial Times (UK)

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312174349
• ISBN-13: 978-0312174347
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating study of the diversity of the English Revolution, April 12, 2006

By 

Stillman A. Morgan (Groton, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Puritanism and Revolution: Studies in Interpretation of the English Revolution of the 17th Century (Paperback)

Only tenuous connections to the English Revolution unify the subject matter of the essays collected in Puritanism and Revolution, yet the book coherently argues a single thesis: that the English Revolution must be studied in its diversity. Hill proves his thesis by writing essays on a wide variety of subjects: the effects of the dissolution of the monasteries, the use of the idea of the "Norman yoke," English ties to internationalism, agrarian legislation, Lord Clarendon, poor relief, political sermons, Hobbes's political theory, Harrington's utopia, an insane vegetarian hatter, a preacher of the end times, a metaphysical poet, and a novel. The wide variety of subject matter itself proves his point. The essays themselves explain only small parts of the English Revolution but convey the larger message.

Hill groups his essays into two categories. The first, "Movements and Men," looks at general trends over lengthy periods of time. This category largely, though by no means exclusively, deals with economic factors, and its essays are more clearly connected to the English Revolution. The second, "Men and Movements," looks at the specific contributions of individuals to the Revolution. It is longer and also more diverse. Though its essays are less clearly connected to the Revolution, its diversity contributes more to Hill's thesis.

These essays also are grouped more specifically. The first essay surveys several different scholarly interpretations of the English revolution, criticizing many in their entirety and some in part. Hill then discusses economics, identifying the effects on society of the seizing of the monasteries and nunneries under Henry VIII. In another essay, he classifies the types of agrarian legislation proposed in Parliament, explaining their causes, and defining their effects. Society is discussed in essays about socio-political interpretations of the Norman invasion and rule and about English involvement in the "brotherhood of man." Essays about the William Perkins's theories concerning the relief of the poor and about John Preston's political sermons before the king share the theme of the effects of Puritan religion on politics. Political theory is the theme of essays about Thomas Hobbes and John Harrington. Analyses of Andrew Marvell and Samuel Richardson's Clarissa Harlowe deal with the effects of the Revolution on literature. Even the insane gets its share of attention in essays about John Mason's apocalyptic predictions and Roger Crab, "The Mad Hatter."

Hill's use of the medium of essays to prove his thesis rather than arguing it directly is effective. If not exactly subtle, proving the case inductively rather than deductively still more gradually persuades the reader. The method allows Hill to cover diverse and interesting material and still unify it. By focusing on small areas of the English Revolution at one time, Hill gives the reader his erudition in manageable chunks. For example, only in a book like this could an author justify spending a chapter on Roger Crab, who was interesting but not influential because his interesting diet and habits killed all of his disciples who adopted them.

Hill does, however, strain his method. Because the essays in the first section deal with general trends over lengthy periods of time, they by necessity have clear connections to Puritanism and the English Revolution. The essay about "The Norman Yoke" begins well before and finishes well after any direct connection to Puritanism, but it is the exception. The essays in the second section, because they are about individuals, do not necessarily have so close a connection. The essays on Lord Clarendon, William Perkins, John Preston, Thomas Hobbes, James Harrington, and John Mason are all tied to some aspect of the English Revolution or to Puritanism more specifically. However, Roger Crab is so bizarre that he really has no connection to much of anything, and he is not shown to be an example of a prevalent trend. The two essays about the literary figures Andrew Marvell and the fictitious Clarissa Harlowe both describe products of the Revolution, but why they are products of the Revolution is not made clear. Perhaps uncertainty is to be expected as the outcome of the difficult task of unifying what is intended to be diverse.

Hill's work, as might be expected from a Marxist, very often touches on economics. Besides the two essays which are primarily about economics, other essays in the collection are substantially about economics. Trade is discussed in the essay about the brotherhood of man; poor relief is an economic subject; Hill relates the political theories of Hobbes and Harrington to economics. The rest of the essays, even if not about economics, are influenced by Marxist social and literary theories. This overemphasis of economics is regrettable, for in his essay surveying the scholarship of the Revolution, Hill shows more insight into religion than some of his colleagues. He mentions that some historians dismiss Puritan religious beliefs as covers for economic motives but insists that religious beliefs should be studied as genuine. Despite the diversity of his essays, he significantly mentions religion in only a couple of essays and in those the focus is more on politics or society than on religion. The essays primarily about economics are, however, Hill's best in the book.

The few problems in Hill's book could possibly be solved by including additional essays. But perhaps a reader's wish for additional essays is additional evidence that Hill has succeeded in proving his thesis, for the reader wishes for more essays because Hill has convinced him that many more such essays could be written about the diversity of the English Revolution.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Table of Contents, January 3, 2007

By 

Khalid Alserkal (Dubai, UAE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Puritanism and Revolution: Studies in Interpretation of the English Revolution of the 17th Century (Paperback)

Table of Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
1 Recent Interpretations of the Civil War 3
2 Social and Economic Consequences of the Henrician Reformation 30
3 The Norman Yoke 46
4 The English Revolution and the Brotherhood of Man 112
5 The Agrarian Legislation of the Revolution 139
6 Lord Clarendon and the Puritan Revolution 181
7 William Perkins and the Poor 195
8 The Political Sermons of John Preston 216
9 Thomas Hobbes and the Revolution in Political Thought 248
10 James Harrington and the People 269
11 The Mad Hatter 282
12 John Mason and the End of the World 290
13 Society and Andrew Marvell 303
14 Clarissa Harlowe and Her Times 332
Index 357

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars easy to read..., January 27, 2010

By 

Senna777 "cartfan" (california) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Puritanism and Revolution: Studies in Interpretation of the English Revolution of the 17th Century (Paperback)

I had to read this book for a grad. course.

C. Hill is a great writer, and the book is very easy to follow. However, while his contributions to English history are certainly there, Hill's Marxist view of history certainly has hurt his work. The argument that Henry VIII's rebellion against the papacy created a rebellious spirit in the english people that ultimately led to the English Civil War, is short sighted. It can be argued, as M. Walzer argues, that the nature of Calvinism created a different approach to politics, or a revolutionary one. The way Calvinists percieved the world and their position in it certainly effected the English political culture during the 17thc. However, while this may have some truth, the idea that everything that happened in tyhe 1640s is purely based off Henry's opposition to the papacy needs to be re-worked. And, it has been re-worked by well post-marxists historians or what we would call post-Hillian approahces to English history.