A fresh, exciting, "readable and informative" history (The New
York Times) of seventeenth-century England, a time of revolution when
society was on fire and simultaneously forging the modern world. -
"Recapture[s] a lost moment when a radically democratic commonwealth
seemed possible."--Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
"[Healy] makes a convincing argument that the turbulent era
qualifies as truly 'revolutionary, ' not simply because of its cascading
political upheavals, but in terms of far-reaching changes within
society.... Wryly humorous and occasionally bawdy"-- The Wall Street
Journal
The seventeenth century was a revolutionary age for the English. It
started as they suddenly found themselves ruled by a Scotsman, and it
ended in the shadow of an invasion by the Dutch. Under James I, England
suffered terrorism and witch panics. Under his son Charles, state and
society collapsed into civil war, to be followed by an army coup and
regicide. For a short time--for the only time in history--England was a
republic. There were bitter struggles over faith and Parliament asserted
itself like never before. There were no boundaries to politics. In
fiery, plague-ridden London, in coffee shops and alehouses, new ideas
were forged that were angry, populist, and almost impossible for
monarchs to control.
But the story of this century is less well known than it should be.
Myths have grown around key figures. People may know about the Gunpowder
Plot and the Great Fire of London, but the Civil War is a
half-remembered mystery to many. And yet the seventeenth century has
never seemed more relevant. The British constitution is once again being
bent and contorted, and there is a clash of ideologies reminiscent of
when Roundhead fought Cavalier.
The Blazing World is the story of this strange, twisting, fascinating
century. It shows a society in sparkling detail. It was a new world of
wealth, creativity, and daring curiosity, but also of greed, pugnacious
arrogance, and colonial violence.
