A Collection of Ranter Writings: Spiritual Liberty and Sexual Freedom in the English Revolution - Softcover

Smith, Nigel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0745333605 ISBN 13: 9780745333601

Publisher: Pluto Press, 2014

Synopsis

The Ranters - like the Levellers and the Diggers - were a group of religious libertarians who flourished during the English Civil War (1642–1651), a period of social and religious turmoil which saw, in the words of the historian Christopher Hill, 'the world turned upside down'. A Collection of Ranter Writings is the most notable attempt to anthologise the key Ranter writings, bringing together some of the most remarkable, visionary and unforgettable texts. The subjects range from the limits to pleasure and divine right, to social justice and collective action. The Ranters have intrigued and captivated generations of scholars and philosophers. This carefully curated collection will be of great interest to historians, philosophers and all those trying to understand past radical traditions.

About this title

Review:

As a primer in the strangeness of radical thought during the period, as well as a wildly entertaining (if slightly crazed) read. (Times Literary Supplement)

Nigel Smith is to be congratulated for bringing these writings together for the first time in one volume. (History Today)

This splended edition of Ranter writings covers the whole range of their politics and theology and shows the movement developing over time. Smith preserves the Ranters' highly distinctive spelling and orthography... A fascinating and exhilarating read. (Edinburgh Review)

Admirable and lively. (The Tablet)

About the Author:

Nigel Smith is William and Annie S. Paton Foundation Professor of Ancient and Modern Literature at Princeton University. His books include Andrew Marvell: The Chameleon (2010), Is Milton better than Shakespeare? (2008) and Literature and Revolution in England, 1640-1660 (1994).

About this edition

• Publisher: Pluto Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0745333605
• ISBN 13: 9780745333601
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 282