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Introduction

  • Geoff Baker
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Reading and politics in early modern England
This chapter is in the book Reading and politics in early modern England

Abstract

This introductory chapter discusses the theme of this volume, which is about the activities and mental world of William Blundell, a seventeenth-century Catholic gentleman in Lancashire, England. The first part of this book considers the extent to which his public activities corroborate his claims of passive victimhood and the second examines Blundell's reading practices as documented in his commonplace books Adversaria and Historica. This volume also evaluates the extent to which Blundell's reputation was justified by his actions and suggests that he was neither the passive victim nor the entirely loyal subject that he and others have claimed.

Abstract

This introductory chapter discusses the theme of this volume, which is about the activities and mental world of William Blundell, a seventeenth-century Catholic gentleman in Lancashire, England. The first part of this book considers the extent to which his public activities corroborate his claims of passive victimhood and the second examines Blundell's reading practices as documented in his commonplace books Adversaria and Historica. This volume also evaluates the extent to which Blundell's reputation was justified by his actions and suggests that he was neither the passive victim nor the entirely loyal subject that he and others have claimed.

Chapters in this book

  1. Front matter i
  2. Dedication v
  3. Contents vii
  4. Acknowledgements ix
  5. List of abbreviations xi
  6. Note on dates and style xiii
  7. Introduction 1
  8. Part I: Family, Friends and Connections
  9. 1 William Blundell’s family and friends 34
  10. 2 William Blundell and the wider world 76
  11. Part II: Reading and reflections
  12. 3 Reading and the construction of commonplaces 102
  13. 4 Reading the confessional divide 136
  14. 5 A Catholic approach to the world 171
  15. Conclusion 208
  16. Appendix 213
  17. Select bibliography 214
  18. Index 229
https://doi.org/10.7765/9781847792655.00007

Chapters in this book

  1. Front matter i
  2. Dedication v
  3. Contents vii
  4. Acknowledgements ix
  5. List of abbreviations xi
  6. Note on dates and style xiii
  7. Introduction 1
  8. Part I: Family, Friends and Connections
  9. 1 William Blundell’s family and friends 34
  10. 2 William Blundell and the wider world 76
  11. Part II: Reading and reflections
  12. 3 Reading and the construction of commonplaces 102
  13. 4 Reading the confessional divide 136
  14. 5 A Catholic approach to the world 171
  15. Conclusion 208
  16. Appendix 213
  17. Select bibliography 214
  18. Index 229
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