Abstract
This project combines early modern and Reformation-era primary source material in order to form a comparative analysis of religious persecution narratives in England. For this analysis, I examine the rhetoric of Protestants and female Quakers. The project incorporates material from Early English Books Online and John Foxe’s Acts and Monuments. Taken together, these sources demonstrate how female Quakers’ stories of persecution aligned with the Protestant tome, Acts and Monuments. This essay posits that the persecution of female Quakers paralleled with Reformation-era Protestants’ trials in a few primary ways: (1) both groups were subject to condemnation for preaching, (2) both insisted on charitable acts despite persecution, (3) both emphasized “plainness,” (4) both endured condescention, and (5) both held a high regard for religious suffering. Ultimately, this research demonstrates that although Acts and Monuments inspired some of the rhetoric among female Quakers, other factors also shaped Quakers' narrative traditions.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31922/disc2.1
Recommended Citation
Lohr, Shelby
(2014)
"Protestants, Quakers, and the Narrative of Religious Persecution in England,"
DISCOVERY: Georgia State Honors College Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 2, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31922/disc2.1
Available at:
https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/discovery/vol2/iss1/1
