Fandom: Enthusiastic Devotion, Religious and Theatrical Celebrity

In a review of the "Progress of Religion" in Britain, one Public Advertiser author condemns "Clergymen, who thus attempt to win proselytes by moving the passions, instead of convincing the judgment, or awakening the conscience."¹ He goes on to argue, "Were such arts necessary in preaching the Gospel, the office of the ministry ought to be performed by the women, whose voices are in general far more pathetic and persuasive than those of men, and Mrs. Siddons would then gain more hearers than the whole clergy of England put together."² Meant as an insult to Methodist preachers and their enthusiastic followers, the pathos performed by both Whitefield and Siddons, along with the enthusiastic reactions of their followers, reflect a significant similarity in the devotional practices of both figures' fans.³ While devotion is largely considered to belong to the realm of religion, the eighteenth century marked a time of transition in which religious devotional practices were transferred to the secular realm. Both Whitefield and Siddons were masters of moving the passions of those who saw and heard them. Devotional response to these celebrated figures includes panegyrics and elegies as well as physical demonstrations of emotion at their performances. In comparing these instances of religious and apparently non-religious fan activity, we learn more about the views, beliefs, and feelings of the writers and spectators than we do, perhaps, of the celebrities themselves.

More than other Methodist preachers of his day, including John Wesley, George Whitefield elicited strong and emotional reactions from his congregation. His fans regarded him not only as a famous preacher whose spiritual influence would bring them closer to God but also as a figure worthy of devotion himself, a devotion characterized by attention to physical display, emotion, and raptured attention. Poetic verse written in praise of Whitefield refers to him in superlative, even divine terms often linked with the performance of his theatrical sermons.⁴ One poet proclaims that Whitefield "command[s] Divine perswasion," joins "Celestial meekness with such ardour," and sends "Divine enchantments" to "every heart."⁵ Later, this poet attends to the physical display, emotion, and raptured attention of Whitefield's fans, marveling, "With how much eagerness the list'ning throng / Gaze on his eyes, and hang upon his tongue. / On them his words like heavenly lightning dart, / They leave the body sound, but melt the heart."⁶ Another poet writes, "How deep the silence, while the prophet speaks! / What list'ning crouds in eager numbers gaze! / Th' attentive boy, the lisping infant weeps, / And Britons pay their tribute of amaze."⁷ While such texts are grounded in a Christian context, they sometimes appropriate classical (or secular) forms for the praise of religious subject matter, as in one poet's opening: "Inspire my muse, O Holy God of Heaven, … To write in praise of Mr. George Whitefield."⁸ Whitefield's connection to the divine is fitting given his role as a preacher, and praises of Whitefield are intrinsically bound up in Christian devotion. Many writings praising him interpret his affecting sermons, his missionary efforts in America, and even his fame as tools to bring people closer to God. Nevertheless, there is a part of such performances devoted to Whitefield that slips into the realm of celebrity devotion, paving the way for later and more secular forms of devotion based on deep, visceral responses to moving performances and great physical displays of tears and emotion.

In the later eighteenth century, devotional responses to actress Sarah Siddons, including panegyric poetry and both factual and fictional accounts of people's encounters with her captivating performances, are strikingly similar to the devotional responses of Whitefield's fans. With Siddons, though, the specifically Christian context of devotion has been succeeded by a more secular form of fan worship. In the early 1780s, a plethora of panegyric poems were published that paint Siddons both as the "Tragic Muse," the moral compass whose performances will save the British theater and perhaps the nation at large from debauchery and ruin, and as a professional performer whose pathos and acting skills are unrivalled. The prelude to "The Tragic...