Mythologies of the Prophet Muhammad in Early Modern English Culture
Book Description
This scholarly exploration reveals how a distorted figure called "Mahomet" shaped English cultural identity during the early modern period. Drawing from diverse literary, historical, and visual sources spanning from the advent of print to the early Enlightenment, Matthew Dimmock examines how English society constructed and perpetuated a fabricated version of the Prophet Muhammad.
The book uncovers how this misrepresented figure became central to Christian understanding of Islam, serving as a vehicle for vilification and misinformation. Yet the story proves more complex than simple prejudice. These mythologized narratives were not merely repeated but also questioned and defended, creating a dynamic cultural conversation that reflected English anxieties and aspirations about their place in a wider world.
For readers interested in spiritual and cultural understanding, this work offers valuable insights into how religious misconceptions develop and persist across societies. By tracing how the English used these distorted stories to define themselves against an imagined "other," Dimmock illuminates the psychological and social mechanisms that shape interfaith relations.
The analysis extends beyond historical curiosity to contemporary relevance, suggesting how past patterns of religious misunderstanding continue to influence present circumstances. This examination of cultural mythology provides thoughtful readers with tools for recognizing and addressing similar dynamics in today's spiritual and political landscape.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~8 hours)
📄 Length: 291 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Relations
- ✓ Explore LITERARY CRITICISM
- ✓ Explore European
- ✓ Explore Christianity and other religions, islam
- ✓ Explore Europe
- ✓ Explore Islam, relations, christianity
- ✓ Explore Christianity and other religions
- ✓ Explore Christianity
