DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/XWAC-CQ53
Defense Date
2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Catherine Ingrassia
Second Advisor
Dr. Les Harrison
Third Advisor
Dr. Mary Caton Lingold
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Sarah Meacham
Abstract
The Prodigal Daughter (1736) is a poem that, on the surface, appears to be an approachable text that was likely geared towards a children’s audience during New England’s first Great Awakening, within the approachable format of a chapbook. However, when explored further, The Prodigal Daughter reveals a complicated textual history during a time of theological and social revival in New England. This thesis considers the historical context of The Prodigal Daughter’s narrative, as well as the poem’s publication history. The text’s transmission is carefully examined and encapsulated in this edition—giving the reader a transcription that is the result of collating twenty-eight surviving witnesses of The Prodigal Daughter. This thesis serves as a critical edition of The Prodigal Daughter, with an introduction which includes a careful consideration of gendered theology, homiletics, the literary marketplace, and the role of the devil in the female conversion narrative during New England’s first Great Awakening.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
12-12-2019
Included in
American Literature Commons, Christianity Commons, Illustration Commons, United States History Commons