The Apocalypse In England: Revelation Unravelling, 1700–1834 (studies In Literature And Religion)

The Apocalypse of John is perhaps the most alluring and dangerous text in any scripture. This study looks at English responses to it in political pamphlets and scholarly exegesis, in poetry and preaching and visual art. Those who set out to find enduring meaning in the book failed. Yet in the post-Christian re-writings of Revelation by Shelley and Blake, John's own dynamic of unveiling comes to life, subverting the structures of power and reading built on the visions of Patmos. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction....Pages 1-4 A Book Resisting Interpretation....Pages 5-30 Apocalypse and Reason....Pages 31-66 Prophecy and Poetry....Pages 67-89 Revelation and Revolution....Pages 90-133 Coleridge and the Limits of Interpretation....Pages 134-173 Rewriting Apocalypse: Shelley and Blake....Pages 174-208 The Half-Unravelled Web....Pages 209-218 Back Matter....Pages 219-251