The Evangelical Revival as seen by contemporary and subsequent writers

Abstract

This thesis examines the ways in which writers have seen the Evangelical Revival of the eighteenth century. The contemporary perceptions of the phenomenon have been examined through the study of the charges made against the movement by those outside it and the responses which such charges provoked. The portrayal of the Revival in the plays, poems and novels contemporaneous with it has also been reviewed. The Revival itself has been defined as 1730 to 1830 for reasons outlined in the Introduction. The perceptions of the Evangelical Revival in the work of historians and biographers from 1830 to the present day has also been covered in two further sections. The literature on the Revival from these years has been surveyed alongside the literature contemporaneous with the Revival itself. The aim of the study is to show the differing perceptions of the Evangelical Revival inside and outside the phenomenon and among later writers have changed and in so doing it is hoped to cover previously unchartered territory.