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Peter Marshall (6) (1964–)

Autor(a) de The Reformation: A Very Short Introduction

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13+ Works 675 Membros 7 Críticas

About the Author

Peter Marshall is Professor of History at the University of Warwick, UK, here he has taught since 1994. A prize-winning commentator on the religious and cultural history of early modern Britain, his many publications include The Reformation: A Very Short Introduction (2009), Mother Leakey and the mostrar mais Bishop: A Ghost Story (2007), Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation (2017) and Invisible Worlds: Death, Religious and the Supernatural in England, 1500-1700 (2017). mostrar menos

Obras por Peter Marshall

Associated Works

The Cambridge Companion to Thomas More (2001) — Contribuidor — 21 exemplares

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Conhecimento Comum

Membros

Críticas

I have read some books and parts of other books, which have presented a more detailed description of various aspects of the Reformation. I came to this book to provide a more overarching introduction to the Reformation, so that I could consolidate my reading. I don’t find that this book achieved this, although well written and full of interesting facts.

I found this book hard work but rewarding, as the author has chosen to cover a long period full of important events in the whole of Europe, breaking down the changes caused by the Reformation into various headings.
Marshall starts with a breakneck recounting of historical events and personalities (Reformations) in the first chapter, in which he describes Lutheran, Reformed Protestant and Reformed Roman Catholic (counter-reformation) narratives. This was too condensed and wide ranging for me; not an introduction, but a summary for readers already familiar with the events. Looking at the helpful chronology at the back of the book, I find that I have no understanding of how protestant ideas so quickly and effectively disseminated themselves across Europe from when Luther posted his ninety-five theses in Germany in 1517, to the Reformation in Zurich in 1523 and England’s Henry VIII break with Rome in 1532.

Following this breathless statement of events, Marshall settles down to expand upon the effects of the Reformation both in the “Protestant north” and the “Catholic south”, covering salvation, politics, society, culture and the Other (Muslim, Jew, witch, pagans in the Americas etc). These sections are fascinating, making me think, or think again, about my broad understanding of Reformation trends, and are peppered with interesting stories to illuminate particular points.

So I am ambivalent about the success of this book, which I found more of a synopsis of the events of the Reformation, followed by a brief exploration of consequences. Although I understood Marshall’s wish to document the similarities between the Protestant Reformation and the Roman Catholic Counter-reformation, I consider that this muddled the analysis of how the Protestant Reformation was so quickly successful, when the ideas would, I would have thought, taken longer to be accepted and acted upon.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
CarltonC | 1 outra crítica | Dec 8, 2021 |
My main complaint about this book is that the title on the dust-cover is in gold foil of such low quality that after only average reading wear and tear, my copy is now called "Heretics and Believi_s". Why gold foil? And why shitty gold foil?

So, the book is pretty great. It's truly enormous, but Marshall's writing is so good that I barely noticed--and good in a stylish way, not in the increasingly popular, almost painfully clear, one-sentence-structure-is-all-I-need way. It's a model of how to organize an historical narrative; it helps, of course, that the material is so gripping. I must also confess that Marshall seems to me to be of the slightly revisionist, post-Duffy school of thinking; Mary comes off better than you'd expect, and Edward worse. That's important, because I'd like to think that's true. Convinced Calvinists might find it rather more upsetting. Even for them, though, this is highly recommendable.… (mais)
1 vote
Assinalado
stillatim | Oct 23, 2020 |
A solid book on the idea of historical reconstruction, on fact checking, and how a thing might not be true, yet nonetheless, becomes a very important historical presence. The illustrations ar sadly black and white, yet useful. Marshall explores the precise function of the nailing of the 95 theses to the Wittenberg church door, whether it happened as received nowadays, or differently. There is also an exploration of the significance of the event to Lutherans, even American ones. As the book deals with my religious heritage, I may have been generous, but it is well worth reading.… (mais)
 
Assinalado
DinadansFriend | Dec 2, 2017 |
Ghost Story may be the sub-title but this book is more about British History, politics and religion in the 17th and 18th Century England & Ireland. The history revolves around the checkered career of Richard Atherton, an English clergyman who rose to the position of Bishop in Ireland. His downfall came after he was accused of sodomy by one of his victims. This was followed by other rumours of fathering a baby with his wife's sister and then killing the baby. Atherton is the only bishop to be executed for sodomy, a law he ironically is supposed to have fostered. The ghost is a woman from his area of England who is supposed to have asked a relative go to Ireland to warn the Bishop to repent before the accusation became public. He didn't. The ghost is supposed to have been seen for many years after. Marshall uses this to make this to make this book a history of belief in ghosts during this period in England's history. Marshall searched out many primary sources to show how this belief was handled at different times depending on what group was in power- Church of England supporters or reformists. Some knowledge of British History of the period would be an advantage to fully enjoy this work.… (mais)
 
Assinalado
lamour | 1 outra crítica | Jan 25, 2010 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
13
Also by
1
Membros
675
Popularidade
#37,411
Avaliação
4.1
Críticas
7
ISBN
242
Línguas
10

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