This original and far-reaching study looks afresh at the involvement of the Catholic Church in the cultural life of France in the seventeenth century. Professor Phillips provides a comprehensive overview of art and literature, education, ideas and censorship, and he focuses on the Church as a reforming and reformed institution in the context of the Counter-Reformation. The strength of his synthesis, the first of its kind in English, lies in the breadth of its concerns and in its combination of social, religious and intellectual history.
Reviews
'... there is much to praise in these pages, and someone new to the topic will be most grateful that so much complex material has been explained so clearly and coherently within a compact form.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History ' ... a perceptive synthesis ... a welcome addition and ... a useful corrective to studies of the nature and impact of the Catholic reform.' English Historical Review
