Sacramental Poetics at the Dawn of Secularism
Book Description
When the sacred foundations of medieval Christianity began to crumble during the Reformation, humanity faced a profound spiritual crisis. Regina Schwartz explores this pivotal moment when traditional religious certainties gave way to doubt, examining how people navigated the loss of doctrines that had once guaranteed divine presence in everyday life.
At the heart of this transformation lies the abandonment of transubstantiation, a belief that had woven God's presence into the very fabric of material existence. Without this doctrine, believers could no longer count on the automatic cleansing of sin, the assurance of divine justice, or the promise of mystical union with the sacred. Yet rather than disappearing entirely, these deep human yearnings found new expression.
Schwartz reveals how spiritual longing migrated from formal religious ritual into the realm of artistic creation. Poetry, literature, and other cultural forms became vessels for the sacred, carrying forward what she terms "sacramental poetics." This concept returns to the original meaning of sacrament as sign-making, recognizing that true signs always point beyond themselves toward transcendent mystery.
Through careful examination of English Christian poetry from 1500 to 1700, this work illuminates how artists and writers became inadvertent spiritual guides, creating new pathways to the divine when traditional routes were blocked. For contemporary seekers questioning established religious forms, Schwartz offers insight into how creativity itself can become a sacred practice, transforming art into a bridge between the material and spiritual worlds.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~6 hours)
📄 Length: 208 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore English Christian poetry
- ✓ Explore Christliche Literatur
- ✓ Explore Religion
- ✓ Explore Early modern
- ✓ Explore English poetry, history and criticism, early modern, 1500-1700
- ✓ Explore Literatur
- ✓ Explore Rites and ceremonies in literature
- ✓ Explore Ritual in literature
