From Divine Cosmos to Sovereign State: An Intellectual History of Consciousness and the Idea of Order in Renaissance England - Softcover

Collins, Stephen L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019507131X ISBN 13: 9780195071313

Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc, 1991

Synopsis

In the late English Renaissance, writers as varied as Shakespeare, Hooker, Bacon, and Hobbes problematically engaged the traditional idea of order and helped define a new, secular one. In this intellectual history, Collins treats the idea of order as a dynamic concept which incorporates changing views of self, society, and the relationship between private and public during these years. He sees this as a process of meaning redefinition that simultaneously heightens and comes to terms with the dissolution of the old idea of order; the self-consciously articulated concept of the representative sovereign state replaces the vision of the divine cosmos as the medium for identity and social order. Collins draws on a wide range of political, literary, and other contemporary writings to chart this process--now associated with secularization--providing a provocative analysis of social and intellectual change.

About this title

Synopsis

In the late Renaissance, writers as varied as Shakespeare, Bacon and Hobbes engaged the traditional idea of order and helped define a new, secular one. This study treats the idea of order as a dynamic concept which incorporates changing views of self and society.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 019507131X
• ISBN 13: 9780195071313
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 244