Abstract
This thesis aims to discuss the confrontation between providentialism and nationalism in Walter Ralegh¡¦s History of the World in light of the development of the writing of history. Ralegh¡¦s proclamation in the Preface to write a universal history demonstrates his endeavor to accord the medieval tradition of divine providence with the new concept of nationalism in the English Renaissance. Yet, the integration of the two ideas reveals the polemics intrinsic in the rooted classical tradition resulted from the humanist revival of antiquity in the Renaissance. Nationalism in terms of its increasing emphasis on men as individual entities here is interpreted as a transformation of the classical patriotism towards the special political structure of city-states.
Therefore, the former part of the first chapter is focused on the primitive formation of the history from epic to the classical historiography in which men and their activities are the primary concerns in the writing of history. The latter part of the chapter then turns to the maturation of the medieval historiography with the rise of Christianity, in which God is considered to be the first cause leading men to the perfect happiness in heaven. Aside from the different emphases on men and God, these two traditions vary from their discrepant assertions of time. The classical historians insist on the cyclic nature of history in correspondence to the wax and wane of the world, while the medieval theologians hold the notion of a lineal sequence of time. Chapter Two then proposes to depict the historiography of the Renaissance as an integration of these two traditions and a renovation due to the humanist movement and the Protestant Reformation.
Chapter Three deals with the theme of divine providence as is theorized in Ralegh¡¦s long exposition of the Preface in his History. Here, the religious application is purposed to inform the readers of two things: God has directed in the course of history the victory of Protestantism; worldly happiness is only finite while the heavenly bliss is eternal. Men shall turn to God for the final salvation by renouncing the pursuit of the worldly desires. Chapter Four is attempted to study the nationalistic elements in Ralegh¡¦s miscellaneous digressions in which many of his political opinions and military advice are delineated. In contrast to his outline of divine providence, Ralegh shows an inconsistent attitude constantly vacillating from his insistence on the Christian belief to his nostalgia of his past glories.
This thesis concludes with a further investigation of Ralegh the person and his success and frustration between the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. Ralegh¡¦s undeserved imprisonment becomes one of the reasons that motivates him to write a history as a self-expression to justify his life as a courtier, as a soldier, as an adventurer, and as a Christian man to face his difficulties in a ¡§resolved¡¨ manner. Finally, I shall return to my argument that the conflict between God and men comes from the confrontation of the classical and the medieval focuses. Though Ralegh advocates to live a moderate life that well-balances the two traditions, he still manifests a dilemma in his presenting the incompatibility between providentialism and nationalism in The History of the World with respect to the changeful political powers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NSYSU/oai:NSYSU:etd-0809100-172341 |
| Date | 09 August 2000 |
| Creators | Lai, Chin-yi Lai |
| Contributors | Ming-tsang Yang, N. Koss, Francis K. H. So |
| Publisher | NSYSU |
| Source Sets | NSYSU Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lib.nsysu.edu.tw/ETD-db/ETD-search/view_etd?URN=etd-0809100-172341 |
| Rights | withheld, Copyright information available at source archive |
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