Compelling reading : the circulation of Quaker texts, 1650-1700
This is a work about the publications and archival habits of a radical minority. The Quakers organised themselves around reading, writing, archiving, and publicationâ activities in which every member was expected to participate. The paradox of these activities is that while they focused upon individual spiritual development, they were dependent upon and tested by intensely collaborative authorship and communal reading. Reading amongst Friends was an element of their spiritual identity, and also a direct inheritance of changes in information production and circulation triggered during the Civil Wars of the 1640s. Over time, Quaker reading practices changed along with the publications they produced and circulated, especially at the onset of state-sanctioned persecution during the Restoration. Publications, which initially featured Quaker leaders as authors, extended to include the testimonies of the broader membership experiencing persecution. Alternate readings of Quaker texts fuelled the doctrinal disputes between members. So too did the makeup of membership change, widening audiences, attracting scholars on the one hand, and non-English speakers on the other. Within current scholarship on the history of
Palmieri, Brooke Sylvia
Compelling reading : the circulation of Quaker texts, 1650-1700. This is a work about the publications and archival habits of a radical minority. The Quakers organised themselves around reading, writing, archiving, and publicationâ activities in which every member was expected to participate. The paradox of these activities is that while they focused upon individual spiritual development, they were dependent upon and tested by intensely collaborative authorship and communal reading. Reading amongst Friends was an element of their spiritual identity, and also a direct inheritance of changes in information production and circulation triggered during the Civil Wars of the 1640s. Over time, Quaker reading practices changed along with the publications they produced and circulated, especially at the onset of state-sanctioned persecution during the Restoration. Publications, which initially featured Quaker leaders as authors, extended to include the testimonies of the broader membership experiencing persecution. Alternate readings of Quaker texts fuelled the doctrinal disputes between members. So too did the makeup of membership change, widening audiences, attracting scholars on the one hand, and non-English speakers on the other. Within current scholarship on the history of
compelling reading circulation quaker text work publication archival habit radical minority quakers organise around reading_write archive publication activity every member expect participate paradox activity focus_upon individual spiritual_development dependent_upon test intensely collaborative authorship communal reading reading amongst friends element spiritual identity also direct inheritance change information production_circulation trigger civil wars time quaker reading practice change along publication produce circulate especially onset state sanctioned persecution restoration initially feature quaker leader author extend include testimony broader membership experience persecution alternate reading quaker text fuel doctrinal dispute member makeup membership change widen audience attract scholar one_hand non english_speaker other within current_scholarship history