Project Gutenberg 2004-07-12 Public domain in the USA. 75 Spalding, Thomas Alfred 1850 Elizabethan Demonology An Essay in Illustration of the Belief in the Existence of Devils, and the Powers Possessed By Them, as It Was Generally Held during the Period of the Reformation, and the Times Immediately Succeeding; with Special Reference to Shakspere and His Works Reading ease score: 52.6 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. E-text prepared by Imran Ghory, Stan Goodman, Linda Cantoni, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team "Elizabethan Demonology" by Thomas Alfred Spalding is a scholarly treatise written in the late 19th century. The work explores the prevalent beliefs in demons, devils, and the supernatural during the Elizabethan era, particularly in relation to the works of William Shakespeare. The book delves into the historical context, examining how these beliefs shaped societal views and the production of literature during the Reformation and its aftermath. At the start of the essay, the author sets the stage for a deep exploration of Elizabethan thoughts related to demonology, arguing that understanding these beliefs is crucial for comprehending Shakespeare's works. Spalding introduces the challenges of interpreting older literature without a grasp of the historical and cultural context that influenced its creation. He emphasizes that misinterpretations can arise from modern perspectives, leading to a distorted understanding of characters and themes. The tone he adopts stresses the importance of a thorough engagement with Elizabethan societal beliefs, which serves as the foundation for the new insights he hopes to offer about Shakespeare's portrayals of supernatural elements in his plays. The opening establishes the book's intent to bring readers closer to the authentic beliefs that shaped one of the greatest literary figures in history. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Devil in literature Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Knowledge -- Occultism Demonology in literature Demonology -- England -- History -- 16th century Reformation -- England BF Text Browsing: History - British Browsing: Literature Browsing: Philosophy & Ethics Browsing: Religion/Spirituality/Paranormal 297310 297129 2024-10-06T05:10:23.206984 2023-10-06T07:00:00.906280 text/html text/html 297303 297122 2024-10-06T05:10:23.485949 2023-10-06T07:00:01.071269 text/html text/html 192817 2024-10-06T05:10:30.470913 application/epub+zip 195773 2024-10-06T05:10:26.567929 application/epub+zip 177856 2024-10-06T05:10:25.282931 application/epub+zip 343159 2024-10-06T05:10:33.498923 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 325521 2024-10-06T05:10:29.755012 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 219248 2022-09-06T23:01:51.863940 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 274420 274314 2024-10-06T05:10:22.626953 2023-10-06T07:00:00.683276 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 274098 2020-12-15T06:46:34 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 106055 2020-12-15T06:46:34 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 274142 2020-12-15T06:46:34 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 106050 2020-12-15T06:46:34 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 22304 2024-10-06T05:10:33.625877 application/rdf+xml 13076 2024-10-06T05:10:25.865919 image/jpeg 3452 2024-10-06T05:10:25.592927 image/jpeg 191062 2024-10-06T05:10:23.511936 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog