Outward Evil Inward Battle: Human Memory in Literature

Chapter 1. Quakers, Memory & the Past in Literature.

3 Chapter 1 Quakers, Memory & the Past in Literature. Bill F. Ndi Introduction Seventeenth century English mindscape was notably characterized by millenaries’ apocalyptic visions of the imminent end of the world. As a result of this, the period was marked by turmoil, changes and instability that affected every facet of social, economic, political, cultural, religious, ideological and literary life in both the Old and the New World. These changes and instabilities which have been carefully summed up by Christopher Hill in his historical opus magna, The World Turned Upside-down, pushed early English and American Quakers to launch a marginal literary creativity which turns out to be pivotal in the history of creativity in the English speaking world. These Quakers so did by tilting their attention to documenting memory (happy as well as sad) and the past for future generations to remember who they were, what they went through and how they survived the odds they faced. The extent of this documenting of memory and the past have led scholars of Quakerism to a consensus on the postulation of Nigel Smith that these “early Quakers were at the same time modern and postmodern.” In the light of the aforesaid, early Quakers, belonged to a Christian sect and were persecuted for their libertarian ideas and ideals. They chose, in their tribulations, to document their “present sufferings” with the sole purpose being to catalogue for their offspring, what would constitute their own past. Consequently, Quaker memory in this venture would have to be preserved for future generations of Quakers and those who might take interest in their sufferings. Also these writings were all geared at validating 4 Quaker religious messages being conveyed as narratives to encourage those who might find themselves on the rough path of spiritual conversion and facing the same kind of difficulties that these Quakers of yore faced. In this guise, any exploration of memory and the past in contemporary literature should take into account the contribution by these precursors of this topical field1 . This chapter envisages an exploration of the activism of early Quakers based on their works on, and documentation of, “Memory and the Past”. An historical footnote here should evoke the total of 3750 spiritual autobiographies and conversion propaganda pamphlets and tracts that 17th century Quakers published within the first fifty years of the movement’s existence. However, this chapter will also examine amongst other things, the legacy of their works in contemporary peace literature, given that “World Peace” was and still is the bedrock upon which Quakerism has built its religious philosophy and its philosophy of religion. Quaker collection and documentation of the sufferings of the times against this backdrop would turn out to be the foundation upon which their struggles for world peace and that against persecution and oppression would stand. Exploring these concerns will entail a critical examination of some Quaker writings including the works of Edward Coxere, Thomas Lurting and Elizabeth Stirregde. However, before delving into examining how Quaker memory and the past and their recollection of that past exert an influence in literature it would be worthwhile to start by looking at the historical context in which Quakerism and its literature were born. 17th century English society was deeply characterized by chiliastic expectations, alongside with the Puritan Revolution that encouraged the birth of multiple religious groupings or sects. All these groups based, upon memory, their expectations and hopes that the end times and promise of a thousand years of bliss in a heavenly kingdom, made by Christ to His faithful followers was near. This was to occur after “His 1 Lacan in discussing Freud in literary analysis highlights the unconscious as structured like a language. Cf. in Terry Eagleton. Literary Theory: an Introduction. 5 second coming”. Early Quakers shared this characteristic of chiliastic and prophetic views alongside other religious groupings preaching to English Protestants the imminence of this universal revolution. Memory of the force and originality of this new Quaker messianic mission is contained in the spiritual autobiographies written by the adepts of the doctrine of inner light also called publishing of truth. These autobiographies, of which the most famous is The Journal of George Fox, (cf. Hugh Barbour & A Roberts, 1973.) assert various forms: novels, letters, doctrinal pamphlets and chronicles of persecutions which Quakers and other dissenters suffered. They all emphasize certain kinds of moments in the life of the adept, and most especially, those of moral redemption and/or...