Oral culture and Catholicism in early modern England

by Alison Shell

"After the Reformation, England's Catholics were marginalised and officially excluded from using printed media for propagandist ends. Hence, they turned to oral media, such as ballads and stories, to plead their case and maintain contact with their community. Building on the interest in Catholic literature which has developed in early modern studies over the last few years, Alison Shell examines the relationship between Catholicism and oral culture from the mid sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries." "This book is an important contribution to the rediscovery of the writings and culture of the Catholic community and will be of great interest to scholars of early modern literature, history and theology."--Jacket.