Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences
of the Russian Academy of Sciences
LITERATUROVEDCHESKII
ZHURNAL
The Journal of Literary History and Theory
Peer-reviewed Academic Journal

ABSOLUTE MONARCHY, OATH OF ALLEGIANCE AND ARGUMENTATION TECHNICS IN JOHN DONNE’S PSEUDO-MARTYR

Ковалёв В.А

Abstract

The work was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 20–011–00794 А). Author investigates the issue of placing John Donne “Pseudo-Martyr” into absolutist discourse and Oath of Allegiance polemics. Donne’s ideas was original and not usual in Anti-Catholics polemics. He rejected radical views both of “people sovereignty” proponents and of patriarchal theory supporters. Instead of them Donne propose original pattern based on Platonist’s views on body-soul correlation as a form and a matter. He created an image of the world, composed of states which equal springs from conception of state as a embodiment of Divine “soul of power”. Donne used Catholics' (especially Jesuits) thesis not only as objects of criticism, but in the same time as an argumentation tools. This feature gave him an opportunity to speak to his Catholic opponents with their language, but simultaneously led him into the controversy with main part of Protestant discourse. Exploring subjects of the book and Donne’s arguments, author concludes that “PseudoMartyr could be placed in early Stuart power discourse only partly due to difference as in argumentation tools so in substantive matters of the Church and the State.

Keywords

John Donne; absolute monarchy; Stuart absolutism; Protestant-Catholic’s discussion; early Modern English literature.

For citation

Kovalev, V.A. “Absolute Monarchy, Oath of Allegiance and Argumentation Technics in John Donne’s Pseudo-Martyr”. Literaturovedcheskii zhurnal, no. 4(58), 2022, pp. 48–64. (In Russ.)

DOI: 10.31249/litzhur/2022.58.03

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