This book sets Henry Vaughan in the context of his own time and in the context of the development of Vaughan studies since his work was rediscovered during the first half of the nineteenth century. Each chapter contains a relatively free-standing treatment of a single topic, but the ten main chapters are organized into a structure that progressively opens up biographical, intellectual, political, religious, and literary aspects of the man and his work. The topics chosen for consideration are areas of current research and ongoing critical debate. Part One deals with Vaughan’s relation to the wo ... More

This book sets Henry Vaughan in the context of his own time and in the context of the development of Vaughan studies since his work was rediscovered during the first half of the nineteenth century. Each chapter contains a relatively free-standing treatment of a single topic, but the ten main chapters are organized into a structure that progressively opens up biographical, intellectual, political, religious, and literary aspects of the man and his work. The topics chosen for consideration are areas of current research and ongoing critical debate. Part One deals with Vaughan’s relation to the world in which he lived: the topography and social context of his native Breconshire; his ideas about God and Nature; his royalist affiliation during the civil wars; his opposition to the Puritan regime imposed upon South Wales; and his encouragement of members of the outlawed Church of England during the Interregnum. Part Two explores literary features of his practice of the art of poetry: the unusual degree of intertextuality with the poetry of George Herbert and other poets; his use of typology and scriptural allusion; nature imagery and description of the natural world; and elements of poetic craftsmanship, such as rhyme, rhythm, and form.