Synopses & Reviews
This prize-winning account of the pre-Reformation church recreates lay peopleand#8217;s experience of religion in fifteenth-century England. Eamon Duffy shows that late medieval Catholicism was neither decadent nor decayed, but was a strong and vigorous tradition, and that the Reformation represented a violent rupture from a popular and theologically respectable religious system. For this edition, Duffy has written a new Preface reflecting on recent developments in our understanding of the period.
From reviews of the first edition:
and#147;A magnificent scholarly achievement [and] a compelling read.and#8221;and#151;Patricia Morrison, Financial Times
and#147;Deeply imaginative, movingly written, and splendidly illustrated. . . . Duffyand#8217;s analysis . . . carries conviction.and#8221;and#151;Maurice Keen, New York Review of Books
and#147;This book will afford enjoyment and enlightenment to layman and specialist alike.and#8221;and#151;Peter Heath, Times Literary Supplement
and#147;[An] astonishing and magnificent piece of work.and#8221;and#151;Edward T. Oakes, Commonweal
Review
"This book will afford enjoyment and enlightenment to layman and specialist alike." Peter Heath, Times Literary Supplement
Review
"A magnificent scholarly achievement [and] a compelling read." Patricia Morrison, Financial Times
Review
"Deeply imaginative, movingly written, and splendidly illustrated....Duffys analysis...carries conviction." Maurice Keen, New York Review of Books
Review
"[An] astonishing and magnificent piece of work." Edward T. Oakes, Commonweal
Review
"[A] vigorous and eloquent book, a work of daring revision and a masterpiece of the historical imagination....At once meticulous and lush, The Stripping of the Altars patiently and systematically recovers the lost world of medieval English Catholicism." Benjamin Schwarz, the Atlantic Monthly (read the entire Atlantic Monthly review)
Synopsis
This prize-winning account of the pre-Reformation church recreates lay people's experience of religion in fifteenth-century England. Eamon Duffy shows that late medieval Catholicism was neither decadent nor decayed, but was a strong and vigorous tradition, and that the Reformation represented a violent rupture from a popular and theologically respectable religious system. For this edition, Duffy has written a new Preface reflecting on recent developments in our understanding of the period.
From reviews of the first edition:
A magnificent scholarly achievement and a compelling read.--Patricia Morrison, Financial Times
Deeply imaginative, movingly written, and splendidly illustrated. . . . Duffy's analysis . . . carries conviction.--Maurice Keen, New York Review of Books
This book will afford enjoyment and enlightenment to layman and specialist alike.--Peter Heath, Times Literary Supplement
An astonishing and magnificent piece of work.--Edward T. Oakes, Commonweal
About the Author
From reviews of the first edition:“A magnificent scholarly achievement [and] a compelling read.”Patricia Morrison, Financial Times
“Deeply imaginative, movingly written, and splendidly illustrated. . . . Duffys analysis . . . carries conviction.”Maurice Keen, New York Review of Books
“This book will afford enjoyment and enlightenment to layman and specialist alike.”Peter Heath, Times Literary Supplement