Spiritual Autobiography

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Stuart Sim (University of Sunderland)
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Spiritual autobiography is a non-fictional form which rose to prominence in seventeenth-century England, although its roots can be traced as far back as such works of the early Christian tradition as St. Augustine’s

Confessions

. The form’s basic concern is to trace the progress of an individual believer from a state of sin to a state of grace, where the conviction takes hold that salvation has been guaranteed by God. Given the concentration on the individual, the form appealed most to Protestants, in particular the more militant sectarian movements (Baptists, Quakers, etc.) who broke away from the Church of England over the course of the seventeenth century - a period of marked religious division in English history. Aside from its purely historical interest, spiritual autobiography…

1152 words

Citation: Sim, Stuart. "Spiritual Autobiography". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1377, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1377 Spiritual Autobiography 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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