Interdisciplinarity and the study of early modern sermons

This review surveys the study of early modern sermons by historians and lit erary critics in recent years. It argues that sermons are becoming more imp ortant to research in the period, particularly given the revisionist histor ians' emphasis on religious politics and the shift to historicism in litera ry studies. None the less, sermons are rarely scrutinized by either group o f scholars in a way that utilizes both their rhetorical artfulness and thei r political engagement: they are not studied as both texts and events. This is partly a result of the different perspectives form which they have been examined by previous generations of scholars. Although two recent monograp hs, Peter McCullough's Sermons at court and Lori Anne Ferrell's Government by polemic, demonstrate ways in which this might be corrected, it must stil l be acknowledged that much work remains to be done.