Inventing the "Great Awakening"
Published on 21. March 1999
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-691-04379-1 (ISBN)
Description
This text presents an account of the evangelical revival known in America as the first Great Awakening (1735-1745). Beginning in the mid-1730s supporters and opponents of the revival commented on the extraordinary nature of what one observer called the "great ado", with its extemporaneous outdoor preaching newspaper publicity, and rallies of up to 20,000 participants. It offers an overview of this period and proposes an explanation of its origins. The Great Awakening was named after it occurence and its leaders created no doctorine nor organizational structure that would result in a historical record. Challenging previous theories about this, the book demonstrates that the awakening was invented by 18th-century evangelicals who were religious promoters. It shows how these people told and retold their account to themselves, their followers and opponents. It depicts revivals as cultural productions and yield different understandings of how believers "spread the word" with whatever technical and social methods seem the most effective.
Reviews / Votes
"Lambert has written an important book for students of American religious and cultural history. . . . [His] straightforward, non-sensational history makes a good case for 'great awakenings' in New England and several middle colonies before 1750 and marks a helpful turn in the debate about the real meaning of Joseph Tracy's Great Awakening."---Jon Butler, American Historical Review "Exceptionally well written and adequately documented. . . . This is an important contribution to the debate."---Kenneth G. C. Newport, Theological Book Review "Lambert's work is synthetic in the best sense of the word, allowing us to see fully the contours of the revivals as they emerged in the public's eye. . . . Lambert focuses squarely on this question and thus revivifies the language through which people described and explained what they thought was happening to them. His judiciousness in this matter should be a model to us all."---Philip F. Gura, Reviews of American History "Frank Lambert provides a surprising narrative of the awakening that is well written, thoroughly researched, and rich in implication. . . . A brief review cannot do justice to this excellent work."---Michael J. McClymond, Journal of Religion "Replete with tables outlining revival events and publications, Lambert's book is a highly accessible account for specialists and nonspecialists alike. His attention to the importance of print, his appreciation of the role of transatlantic revival networks, and his sensitivity to the nuances of cultural 'invention' make this a model of historical scholarship."---Peter J. Thuesen, The Catholic Historical ReviewMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
5 halftones, 11 tables
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
595 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-04379-1 (9780691043791)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Frank Lambert
Inventing the "Great Awakening"
E-Book
10/2022
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€53.99
Available for download
Person
Frank Lambert is Associate Professor of History at Purdue University and the author of "Pedlar in Divinity:" George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737-1770 (Princeton).