The Edges of Augustanism: The Aesthetics of Spirituality in Thomas Ken, John Byrom and William Law (International Archives of the History of Ideas Archives internationales d'histoire des idées, 53)

It has recently been argued that the 18th century can no longer be 1 seen as gripped in the strait-jacket of Augustanism and Neoclassicism. Such labels are seen as doing less than justice to the rich variety of individual talents and intellectual trends which collectively constitute 18th century culture. While welcoming the interment of the long­ standing myth of the peace of the Augustans, there seems little point in placing an interdict on labels which, willy-nilly, have stuck. In economic, social and ecclesiastical terms there is an age between 1689 and 1789 whose homogeneity is reflected in its cultural products. There is a mainstream which the strength and variety of counter­ currents and cross-currents corroborate rather than disintegrate. It is the purpose of this study to reveal some aspects of this mainstream by examining certain cross-currents which overlap its edges. Hence the choice of Thomas Ken (1637-1711), John Byrom (1692-1763) and William Law (1686-1761). Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-5 Front Matter....Pages 7-7 The Critical Heritage....Pages 9-13 The Religious Background....Pages 14-30 The Aesthetics of Infinity....Pages 31-37 Neoclassicism....Pages 38-47 The Metaphysical Tradition....Pages 48-67 Poetic Diction....Pages 68-68 Front Matter....Pages 79-79 Light and Enlightenment....Pages 81-85 Deism and Modernism....Pages 86-101 From Quietism to Evangelicalism....Pages 102-114 Theological Renewal....Pages 115-122 Nature and Enthusiasm....Pages 123-132 Psychology and Aesthetics....Pages 133-147 Back Matter....Pages 148-164