February 2013 – Francis Young

Publication of English Catholics and the Supernatural, 1553-1829

Today is the official publication date of English Catholics and the Supernatural, 1553-1829. The book is the first systematic attempt to treat Catholic responses to those aspects of early modern ‘popular religion’ that might be termed ‘preternatural’ or, to use the less accurate but more commonly used term, supernatural. It differs from other works on the subject of early modern popular religion by being based almost entirely on sources produced by Catholics, and includes chapters on Catholic views of ghosts, witchcraft and magic, and Catholic exorcism. It also approaches the question of what English Catholics thought superstition actually was, and attempts to locate English Catholic thought on the subject within the context of the wider Counter-Reformation. The book argues that Catholics were considerably more sceptical of supernatural phenomena than they were portrayed by their opponents.

You can order the book from Ashgate’s website, where you can view the Introduction as a sample chapter, or from Amazon, where the ‘search inside’ facility ought to become available soon. There are also extracts of the book available on Google Books.

‘What is Early Modern English Catholicism?’ Conference

At some point on 29 or 30 June I will be speaking at a conference at Ushaw College organised by Durham University’s Centre for Catholic Studies, entitled ‘What is Early Modern English Catholicism?’.

The conference will run from 28-30 June and the plenary speakers will be Eamon Duffy (Cambridge), Brad Gregory (Notre Dame), Thomas McCoog (Fordham) and Alexandra Walsham (Cambridge).

Celebrating the contribution of Eamon Duffy’s work to changing notions of how early Modern English Catholicism is understood, the aim of the conference is to discuss different ‘sorts’ of Catholicism in evidence – exploring whether the term covers a broad spectrum of interest groups or is more narrowly defined. As such, it will change perceptions of the subject, the conference including those who approach the material from very different angles, questioning perceived notions of what is actually meant when Early Modern Catholicism is mentioned in the English context. The period under consideration will be in the long-term, from the 16th century break with Rome, the years of uncertainty and the Marian restoration, through the periods of recusancy, persecution and the Glorious Revolution, to the Jacobite movement and the Catholic survivalism of the 18th century.

My paper will be entitled ‘Neo-Latin in the English Catholic Community’ and will address the marginalised area of Latin literature produced by the Catholic community, arguing that Latin was as important as English as a lingua franca amongst English Catholics.