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'And seek for grace': spiritual conversion on the early modern stage

Posted on 16 October 2011

Visiting Research Associate, Lieke Stelling, will be giving a paper, '"And Seek for Grace:" Spiritual Conversion on the Early Modern Stage' at The Cabinet of Curiosities, the CREMS postgraduate forum, on Tuesday 15th of November at 4.15 in the Humanities Research Centre, room BS/008. All are welcome to attend this event.

An abstract from Lieke's paper to whet your appetite...

Up until the late sixteenth century, spiritual conversion -- the rejection of sin in favour of the pursuit of a life of godliness -- had dominated dramatic plots for centuries. In the Elizabethan and Jacobean era, playwrights' interest in spiritual conversion was largely replaced by a new interest in "interfaith" conversion, the embrace of a new religion or confession. Yet spiritual conversion did not disappear entirely from the stage, but altered under the influence of increasing confessionalization. This paper will explore crossovers between spiritual conversion and confessional concerns in early modern drama, with particular attention to the importance of the doctrine of election as a crux in the dramatic portrayal of spiritual conversion.For more details email Sarah Clark or Lena Liapi at curiositycabinet2010@gmail.com.