Life Writing in Reformation Europe

This engaging study brings to light a largely neglected genre of Reformation literature, the Lives of various Reformers written after their death by contemporaries. Although far less well known than other types of writings, such as polemical pamphlets, treatises or commentaries, biography constitutes an important body of literature which sheds much light on numerous aspects of the Reformation. Utilising this important canon of reformation writing raises intriguing questions about the...
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This engaging study brings to light a largely neglected genre of Reformation literature, the Lives of various Reformers written after their death by contemporaries. Although far less well known than other types of writings, such as polemical pamphlets, treatises or commentaries, biography constitutes an important body of literature which sheds much light on numerous aspects of the Reformation. Utilising this important canon of reformation writing raises intriguing questions about the role of the individual and of Protestant hagiography, as well as the influence of classical and humanist traditions that stress the importance of the 'great' individual in setting an example for others to follow.In all this ambitious book provides a fascinating insight into the intersection of hagiography, literature, theology and polemical debate across the key years of the European Reformation.