This essay collection proposes that a puritan literary tradition existed that was distinct from broader conceptions of early modern English and Protestant traditions and offers a nuanced account of the distinct and variegated contribution that puritanism has made to the construction of 'literature' as a concept in English.

Johanna Harris is Associate Professor of Literature in the Western Civilisation Program at the Australian Catholic University. Her research and publications focus on the literature, religion, and politics of the early modern period. With Alison Searle, she is a general editor of The Complete Correspondence of Richard Baxter and a volume editor for The Oxford Traherne (both forthcoming with Oxford University Press).
Alison Searle is Associate Professor of Textual Studies at the University of Leeds. Her research and publications focus on epistolary culture, scholarly editing, and the relationship between literature and theology. Her most recent book is Pastoral Care through Letters in the British Atlantic (Cambridge University Press, 2023). She is also a general editor (with Johanna Harris) of The Complete Correspondence of Richard Baxter (forthcoming with Oxford University Press).