John Trussell: a life (1575-1648)

Abstract

John Trussell of Winchester (1575-1648) was a poet, historian and civic official. His life and works have been little studied, but they are broad in scope, and provide a fascinating insight into early modern religious and political affiliations and the role that manuscript literature of several kinds could play in provincial urban society. Using his extensive unpublished writings as well as printed works, this, the first full-length biography of Trussell, describes his career and the place of literature within it. Trussell’s participation in the pro-sport poetic anthology Annalia Dubrensia, his youthful association with the Jesuit Robert Southwell, the influence of Justus Lipsius’s thought on his own, and the development of his civil war allegiance are critically examined. The thesis shows how the few scholars who have written about Trussell’s literary activities have often tended to form judgements based on a simplified picture of clashing early modern dichotomies, and aims to redress the balance by telling the story of his life in detail, so that the nuances of his attitudes can emerge. It contends that chronological narrative biography is the best tool for understanding the complicated reality of early modern lives, enabling historians to transcend the constraints of scholarly paradigms and established historiographies and achieve a holistic understanding of the way early modern individuals participated in the life of their society.

More information

Identifiers

Catalogue record

Export record