All Wonders in One Sight: The Christ Child among the Elizabethan and Stuart Poets

237 Pages·2021·1.589 MB·English

by  Theresa Kenney

ALL WONDERS IN ONE SIGHT
The Christ Child among the
Elizabethan and Stuart Poets
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All Wonders in One Sight
The Christ Child among the
Elizabethan and Stuart Poets
THERESA M. KENNEY
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
© University of Toronto Press 2021
Toronto Buffalo London
utorontopress.com
Printed in the U.S.A.
ISBN 978-1-4875-0906-4 (cloth) ISBN 978-1-4875-3962-7 (EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-4875-3961-0 (PDF)
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: All wonders in one sight : the Christ Child among the Elizabethan and
Stuart poets / Theresa M. Kenney.
Names: Kenney, Theresa M., author.
Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200409891 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200410091 |
ISBN 9781487509064 (cloth) | ISBN 9781487539627 (EPUB) |
ISBN 9781487539610 (PDF)
Subjects: LCSH: Christian poetry, English – Early modern, 1500–1700 –
History and criticism. | LCSH: Religious poetry, English – History and
criticism. | LCSH: English poetry – Early modern, 1500–1700 – History
and criticism. | LCSH: Jesus Christ – In literature.
Classification: LCC PR545.R4 K46 2021 | DDC 821/.40938232 – dc23
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario
Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
Funded by the Financé par le
Government gouvernement
of Canada du Canada
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
1 Sacrament, Time, and Space in the Tudor and Stuart
English Nativity Lyric 3
2 The Christ Child on Fire: Southwell’s Mighty Babe 32
3 “Kisse Him, and with Him into Egypt Goe”: John Donne
and the Christ Child of “Nativitie” 54
4 “My Saviour’s Face”: George Herbert’s “Starre” and the
Vanishing Christ Child 69
5 “Wisest Fate Says No”: Milton’s Nativity Ode 91
6 “We Kis’t the Cradle of Our King”: Affection, Awe, and
Abridging the Laws of Time in Crashaw 115
Conclusion: The Christ Child: Little Boy Lost 133
Notes 147
Bibliography 187
Index 221
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Acknowledgments
My deepest gratitude is due to two friends: Dr. Mary Dzon, who co-
edited with me our earlier volume on the Christ Child for the Univer-
sity of Toronto Press and who was an unfailing help in my research
for and development of this book; and Dr. Cheryl Kinney, MD, who
made sure I had “a room of one’s own” to write in many a Saturday
when research and maternal duties did not mix. Our lunch break dis-
cussions will always be a dear memory. I also thank other good friends,
Dr. Bernadette Waterman Ward, Ashley Harbers, and Wendy Briones
Reimann, for their time and care in reading portions of this book and
giving advice and guidance. My sister Anne and my husband Mark
also devoted many hours to reading, re-reading, and critiquing text
and notes. In addition, I am grateful for the comments of my anon-
ymous readers and above all for the support and sage advice of my
editor, Suzanne Rancourt. I am also deeply thankful for the immense
care with which my copyeditor, Carolyn Zapf, has laboured over this
book. My home institution, the University of Dallas, has supported this
endeavour financially and with a recent sabbatical leave. English Liter-
ary Renaissance has permitted the reprinting (with some changes) of my
essay on Robert Southwell.
My own little baby Stella has gotten a lot bigger and learned to read
in the course of this book’s composition; she and her big sister Anna-
maria have definitely kept real childhood before my eyes as I wrote. To
them and to my patient husband Mark, to my always-supportive par-
ents, Edward and Roberta, sisters Anne and Maria, and brothers Steve,
Tom, John, and Robert, this book is affectionately dedicated.
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ALL WONDERS IN ONE SIGHT
The Christ Child among the
Elizabethan and Stuart Poets