Clarke 1997

Clarke, Elizabeth. Theory and Theology in George Herbert's Poetry. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997.

"Before Herbert's volume, no English poet had dared to claim that his work could be labelled 'Sacred Poems'." (8) -- later Vaughan and Harvey adopt his title

Kenneth Fincham, four categories in early Stuart Church: radical Puritans, moderate Puritans, conformist Calvinists, anti-Calvinists

• Herbert is in 3rd category (10)
• "Herbert's attitude to Church authority as expressed in The Country Parson is deeply conformist, which is why Barnabas Oley published it in 1652 as an example of ideal Anglican practice: the stress on 'decency' and 'order' in the chapter on church furnishing, and the resonance of the words 'Authority' and 'uniformity' throughout the work, would have endeared him to Laud." (10)

Herbert's via media -- "a complex synthesis of various elements in the European Christian tradition, rather than a narrow theological position" (13)

Clarke disagrees with Stewart 1986 that the Harmonies are key to understanding Herbert's work; "These wholly unremarkable biblical compilations seem to me unable to yield the hermeneutic Stewart tries to derive from them." (13-4)

Savonarola, St. Francois de Sales, Juan de Valdes: intellectual/theological contexts for Herbert's poetry (15)

models of the Christian poet, from Platonic ideals to Sidney (21) -- moving the readers to virtue through energeia

"At the beginning of the seventeenth century, then, Herbert was formulating his role as a Christian poet within a nexus of influences whereby assurance of salvation, the inspiration of authorship, the sinful passions of the flesh, and the power of effective rhetoric are all signified by internal impulses, or 'motions'. In practices, it is almost impossible to separate the discourse of theology from the discourse of rhetoric in this period." (23)

Herbert and Savonarola: The Rhetoric of Radical Simplicity

"Savonarola has two main quarrels with poetry, both to do with authorship. The first is its source: most poetry is pagan, and therefore inspired by the Devil. howver, there is also something in the nature of the public production of words that is in itself deeply suspect, and self-publicizing. As Herbert would have put it, the self becomes woven into the sense." (30)

simplicitas

Herbert -- using "'things of ordinary use' as metaphors to explain the catechism to his less intelligent parishoners" (33)

for Savonarola, "those who are simplex are called so because heart and words and deeds are in harmony." (34)

Country Parson encourages the Parson to read the bible and make "a diligent Collation of Scripture with Scripture" (qtd 37)

• "In this view of Scripture Herbert is very close to Savonarola, who sees in the Bible the working out of his principle of simplicitas, unity in diversity" (37)
• "It was from a very similar conviction that the Harmonies, or Concordances, were produced at Little Gidding, showing how the Gospel writers could be combined into one master-narrative, and how Chronicles could be harmonized with Judges. Herbert, who loved the Harmony that was sent to him, celebrates this very concept in the second of his sonnets on 'The H. Scriptures'. His metaphor for the profound unity of the Bible is very reminiscent of Savonarola: it is the same principles as orders the stars." (37)

"It is in truth, not words, that the beauty of the poetry consists [for Herbert]: the words that describe the true things must be clear in order that their beauty will shine through." (47)

"In both sermons and poetry, then, the words simply copy out what is already written on the heart, a process of which Savonarola would have thoroughly approved." (50)

"it is possible to see the careful correspondence between subject and form that characterizes Herbert's poetry as an example of simplicitas, the principle of integrity that can draw together complex elements such as typography, forms, and meaning into harmony." (61)

Moxon, "dressing" words in the physical medium of typography" (ii.212) (62)

poem in memory of his mother, who taught him to write (66)

An Introduction to the Devoute Life and The Temple: 'The Poetry of Meditation' or 'Private Ejaculations'?

Ferrar's translation of Carbo's Introductio Ad Catechismum, approved by Herbert but not for publication

"I will be showing that the attitude to religious language represented in An Introduction to the Devoute Life is actually alien to Reformation spirituality , and to much of Herbert's poetic practice, although there are superficial similarities in style, tone, and occasionally, form." (74)

St Francois "saw no incompatibility between the poetic muse and the Holy Spirit" (75)

• rhetorical strategies are devotional (94-5)

"In the highly finished, seamless discourse which is poetry, and particularly Herbert's poetry, there could be no trace of God's presence: if God had successfully copmleted the human poem, the reader would not be able to see the join." (98)

not clear if Herbert chose the subtitle for the Temple; it doesn't appear i neither manuscript; if he didn't, probably Ferrar did, suggesting a more secure link to de Sales (102)

English use of "ejaculations" "seems to be characteristic of a Reformed doctrine of prayer" (103)

"It is the architecture of human consciousness that is the real subject-matter of Herbert's poetry, and the poems show how it feels for a human being to be reconstructed as the temple for the Holy Spirit." (111)

"the nature of the persona created in The Temple is of an author whose constant preoccupation is legitimate use of language. The most compelling conclusion for a reader is that an author who representes his own consciousness in this way is most likely to resemble his rhetorical creation." (115)

"The 'ejaculatory' poets were of the same political persuasion as Cosin: i would suggest tha tHerbert's lyrics offered them an alternative model of divine inspiration to the disturbing spontaneity of radical 'inspired' discourse in the Interregnum." (126)

'Ejaculations' and the Poetry of the Psalms: Herbert's Role as Contemporary Psalmist

"Herbert's poems are not abotu God as an entity outside of the subject: they are set, however, in the only place God can be known, the temple where He dwells and is worshipped, which is the human heart." (138)