Document Type
Senior Paper/Project
Abstract
She has been described as the most influential woman of her era and Britain's greatest propagandist. Her works were far more popular than Jane Austen's and were personally requested by royalty. She ran in the highest circles, dear friends with both literary giant Samuel Johnson and abolitionist William Wilberforce. In her day, Hannah More was a household name, widely recognized fro the massive influence she had on society. Today, it is rare to meet someone who has heard of her.
When Hannah More began writing in the late eighteenth century, her works became extremely popular very quickly. By the time of her death in 1833, she was known almost world-wide as a best-selling author. Yet More's goals were far more than literary. She was a reformer, seeking improvement among the Christian sects of British society and the advancement of the gospel throughout the rest of the nation. With this end in mind, she became an important figure in several reformative campaigns, including abolition and the Sunday School movement. Her endeavor to live with Christ-like intentionality motivated her to write a variety of works, including tracts, novels, plays, poems, and didactic essays. She became an expert at using fiction to teach morals, a format that can be dubbed "moral imagination."
Department(s)
English and Journalism
Date Accepted/Awarded
3-2016
Award/Distinction
Library Research Prize - First Place Winner
Course
ENL499 English Senior Seminar
First Advisor/Reader
Mark Bruce
Recommended Citation
Beecken, Emma, "Hannah More's Moral Imagination: Fiction that Reformed a Nation" (2016). Library Research Prize Student Works. 8.
https://spark.bethel.edu/library-research-prize-work/8
Reflection on Library Research process required to qualify for Library Research Prize
Terms of Use and License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.