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SUMMARY:'A Double Delight': Spiritual experiences of recovery from illness
  in Early Modern England\, c.1580-1720 - Dr Hannah Newton (Department of H
 istory\, University of Reading)
DTSTART:20171121T174500Z
DTEND:20171121T191500Z
UID:TALK87571@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Rachel E. Holmes
DESCRIPTION:Recovery from illness was an event of profound religious signi
 ficance in early modern England\, because it was believed to be ordained b
 y God. This paper investigates the perceived impact of bodily recovery on 
 spiritual wellbeing\, and asks how patients and their loved ones reacted t
 o the belief that ultimately it was the Lord who had raised them from the 
 sickbed. While historians have explored religious interpretations and expe
 riences of sickness\, little attention has been paid to reactions to divin
 e healing. Across the Protestant spectrum\, the spiritual experience of ge
 tting better was shaped by an 'art of recovery'\, a set of moral duties an
 d devotional practices derived from Scripture\, which were supposed to be 
 performed in the wake of illness. These included resisting sin\, cultivati
 ng 'holy affections'\, and joining together in collective praise. When pat
 ients were able to meet the requirements\, recovery was a 'double delight'
  – their souls as well as their bodies were better. But\, on those occas
 ions when they failed\, the joy of recovery was significantly undermined. 
 Through such discussions\, the paper brings together the histories of devo
 tion\, emotion\, medicine\, and music.
LOCATION:Gatsby Room\, Wolfson College
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