Transfigured Rites in Seventeenth-century English Poetry

This is a study of liturgy and its attendant rites as they profoundly influenced 17th-century English poetry. Examining various aspects of 17th-century liturgy against the works of major and minor poets, this book shows how fully and widely these materials were used in the poetry of Donne, Herbert, Milton, Vaughan, Wither, More, Sidney, Beaumont, Jonson, and Crashaw. The book explores the basic elements of liturgy and the techniques the poets used in handling them, beginning with adaptations and parodies of prayers.