Donne's Augustine

This is a comprehensive re-examination of the major Renaissance author John Donne (1572-1631), through his response to the most iconic religious figure in Western theology, Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Donne's Augustine is an original and significant contribution to both the history of the book and the history of religion. Katrin Ettenhuber opens up a new area of study by revealing the importance of the Church Fathers not only to religious matters but also to literary and political writing. She looks in detail at how Donne read the works of Saint Augustine and how he incorporated Augustine's religious and literary ideas into his own writing. By uncovering a range of unfamiliar sources in medieval and Renaissance writing, she demonstrates how theology impacts on other areas of public debate, especially politics, and the law.