humanities.lit.authors.shakespeare

On Feb 21, 8:16 pm, Lyra wrote:

(quote)

> The providence motif, the conviction that England was particularly
> blessed to escape so many near-disasters

(end of quote)

`````````

Providence

(anagram)

Proved nice

`````````

Providence

Dice, proven?

`````````

Providence

I'd Provence

`````````

Providence, I

Video Prince

`````````

Providence

Prince dove

(made a dive)

cf.

The Windhover

(Hopkins)

```````````````````



> (quote)
>
> At Folger, England Emerges From the Myths of Time
>
> The providence motif, the conviction that England was particularly
> blessed to escape so many near-disasters, connected internal political
> threats, external military challenges and the religious question in
> one grand narrative of blessed Britishness. In one engraving, from
> 1696, William III is directly protected from an assassination attempt
> by the eye of God, beaming down on him. The title of the image:
> "Triumphs of Providence Over Hell, France & Rome."
>
> It is curious, and even refreshing, to see such thorough self-
> confidence in the face of threats. Our own response, to real attacks,
> foiled ones and perhaps imaginary ones as well, has been far more
> nervous. Some American religious leaders with substantial
> fundamentalist followings have descried not the benevolent eye of God
> but His vengeance in events such as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,
> 2001, and have used external threats to enliven internal animosities
> and bigotry.
>
> But English self-confidence was not unshakable. England suffered two
> serious blows in the back-to-back Great Plague and Great Fire, and her
> religious leaders were happy to connect the dots for the faithful.
> Various sermons and tracts published immediately after the fire
> attempted to define the religious causes for two such terrible
> misfortunes.
>
> The curators struggle with the perennial problem of exhibitions based
> on documents: how to give their themes visual presentation. But there
> are a few dusty tomes and other documents that are worth the
> pilgrimage for their rarity or curiosity value. There are etchings of
> London, before and after the Great Fire, by Wenceslaus Hollar; a copy
> of Holinshed's "Chronicles" (which provided Shakespeare with reams of
> material); and a 1571 copy of the Gospels in Anglo-Saxon (evidence of
> attempts to give English Protestantism a deeper, more extensive native
> history).
>
> "History in the Making" is the stuff of books, or even libraries, not
> small exhibitions. But they have narrowed their focus, successfully,
> to about 14 central motifs. Familiarity with them will leave the
> visitor with a solid grounding in the politics of an age that includes
> not just Shakespeare but also Elizabeth, Marlowe, Milton and the
> religious fanatics who founded the colonies that eventually became our
> nascent empire.
>
> History in the Making: How Early Modern Britain Imagined Its Past is
> on view at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE,
> Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., through May 17. Admission is free.
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/19/AR200...