Literature and Natural Theology in Early Modern England

by Katherine Calloway

Guiding readers through the diverse forms of natural theology expressed in seventeenth-century English literature, Katherine Calloway reveals how, in ways that have not yet been fully recognized, authors such as Donne, Herbert, Vaughan, Cavendish, Hutchinson, Milton, Marvell, and Bunyan describe, promote, challenge, and even practice natural theology in their poetic works. She simultaneously improves our understanding of an important and still-influential intellectual movement and deepens our appreciation of multiple major literary works. “Natural theology,” as it was popularly understood, changed dramatically in England over the seventeenth century, from the application of natural light to divine things to a newer, more brittle, understanding of the enterprise as the exclusive use of reason and observation to prove theological conclusions outside of any context of faith. These poets profoundly complicate the story, collectively demonstrating that some forms of natural theology lend themselves to poetry or imaginative literature rather than prose.

254 pages, Hardcover

Published October 19, 2023

Reviews

[David Haines · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book looking at the way in which 17th century literary writers thought about natural theology (natural knowledge of God) and integrated their views into their many different works. Some of the primary authors considered include John Donne, John Milton, John Bunyan, and a host of others. These authors are brought into discussion with Francis Bacon, Richard Baxter, Boyle, John Owens, and other theologians. The author shows the shift in the way Natural Theology was understood, moving away from Medieval approaches to natural knowledge about God to a perspective that was heavily influenced by (agreeing or disagreeing with) the nascent early modern natural sciences. An excellent book, well worth reading.