Literature and Dissent in Milton's England (review)

GARRETT ft 135 economic cost, according to popular sources, though there are also many examples ofprescriptive Uterature aimed at the lack ofproductivity exhibited by men who drank. Martin's book is impressive in its geographical, literary, and historical range, but this wide scope necessitates breadth rather than depth. The book's strengthlies in the wealth ofcultural materialsMartin places at ourfingertips— examples of which include popular ballads, statistical analyses of annual per capita consumption ofalcohol based on tax records, court records, and more. What it lacks, though, is a thorough investigation ofthe sexual ideology upon which the attitudes toward alcohol, sex, and gender are predicated. In his conclusion , Martin asserts that "traditional Europe had a sexual double standard and a drinking double standard. Just aswomen were expected to maintain their chastity so also were they expected to maintain their sobriety. The two double standards were Unked because ofthe widespread opinion that a sober women was chastewhUe a drunkwoman was promiscuous" ( 134). The relationship between the double standards is more complicated than this explanation aUows, and a briefdiscussion ofthe humoral body and biblical tenets related to sexual ideologywould complicate this argument in a more satisfactorymanner. OveraU , though, this book furthers the dialogue on the topic ofgender and alcohol first broached by Judith M. Bennett's Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women's Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600 (1996). The breadth ofMartin 's subject matter lays out manyfertUe fields in which scholars can further explore the relationships between early modern material practices and ideology, particularly as they relate to alcohol, sex, and gender. Sharon Achinstein. Literature and Dissent in Milton's England Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. xii + 302 pp. $60.00. Reviewed by Christopher E. Garrett In Literature and Dissent in Milton's England, Sharon Achinstein challenges some prevaUing perceptions about the culture and literature ofthe English Restoration. For example, Achinstein opposes those who think that MUton was "merelya holdover from the Renaissance" (3) and disputes the notion that Dissenters "retreated from the radical activism oftheir revolutionary days" (20). Dissenters, she writes, used Uterature to create "a vibrant culture" and make "sense oftheir experience ofloss" (3). Achinstein also shows "how their literature was embedded in significant social action. For many Dissenters . . . MUton included, the prime chaUenge was to maintain commitment to God 136 i« THE JOURNAL FOR EARLY MODERN CULTURAL STUDIES despite persecution" (3). Although the book examines "the changing nature of reUgious radicaüsm on theeveofthe Enlightenment, specificaUywith respect to reUgiouslymotivatedviolence" (4), in the darkshadowsofSeptember 1 1, 2001, the author also desires to Uluminate both the potential hazards and advantages ofcombining political action and religious license. The opening chapter, "Reading Dissent," provides a comprehensive introduction to the Dissent tradition, and describes the origins ofnonconformist culture in England. Although admitting that Restoration Dissenters were a diverse group, Achinstein works toward defining their common characteristics. In response to theAct ofUniformity in 1662 and other laws passed in the 1660s and 1670s regarding religious practices, those who refused to participate in mandated Anglican ceremonies were identified as nonconformists and labeled as criminals. By the end ofthe seventeenth century approximately six percent ofEngland's population was comprised ofDissenters (over 340,000 individuals ). Many ofthese claimed immediate and individual inspiration ofthe Holy Spirit and also maintained chUiastic hopes. From the opposing Anglican view, nonconformist religion was perceived to be not only radical but also politicaUy dangerous; furthermore, there was concern regarding the consequences of "wide biblical access, antinomianism, and inspired religion" (18). Chapters 2-8 address the foUowing topics: "Memory," "Prison," "Violence ," "MUton," "Enthusiasm," "Poetics," and "Hymns." Chapter 2 establishes howDissenters rememberedthe past, present, and future through funeral sermons, pubUc wüls, and gravestone inscriptions. Since the public gatherings ofnonconformists were Ulegal, when large crowds would assemble, such as the fourto five thousand who attended Baptist preacher HenryJessey's funeral, political officials worried about revolt and disturbance. TypicaUy these events were peaceful, although the Dissenters found ways to show their solidarity and defiance. Through their published wUls (which were often read and distributed at the funeral ceremonies) and tombstone inscriptions, the dead were able to speak words ofrage and vengeance that those living could not utter. Achinstein contends that those nonconformists ofthe various...