Abstract
AbstractWhen the English word ‘addict' emerged in the sixteenth century, it did not mean the same as addiction today. This article uses the language of early modern addiction to not only determine the meaning and use of ‘addict', but also as a means of tracing a particular readership network in reformation England. It focuses initially on the first printed appearances in the work of two evangelical writers; the three meanings they applied to the word; and the etymology behind those meanings. Next, it traces appearances of the word in the writing of early protestant reformers in England, who made almost exclusive use of the term in printed sources before 1550. This is particularly notable because there was nothing conceptually unique about the word: non‐reformers expressed the same ideas, in similar contexts, but using different words. In examining uses of the word ‘addict’ within the religious context of early sixteenth century England, this article suggests the existence of a discrete evangelical vocabulary, and thus a means of tracing a reformist readership network. More than this, it potentially reveals one means by which a persecuted and suppressed group created a sense of shared identity and community.
Highlights
Early modern addiction was most often associated with behaviours, not with substances.[3]
VC 2017 The Authors Renaissance Studies published by Society for Renaissance Studies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Porter called early appearances of the word ‘bogus forerunners’, which clearly ‘did not anticipate Victorian psychopathology’, and Warner noted that ‘[early modern] usage of the label “addicted” is [. . .] riddled with ambiguity’.8. Another strand of scholarship which routinely uses the term ‘addiction’ in reference to the early modern period is the study of historical intoxication and
Summary
Addiction is a word that grabs attention. It promises the reader a story of compulsion, deterioration, loss of control, a spiral downwards, paired with a story of withdrawal, recovery, and redemption. Addiction is controversial: there are ongoing debates over the categorization of compulsive behaviours as addictions, and even disagreement over the classification of addiction as a disease.[1] Gambling is the only behavioural addiction recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), and only since the fifth edition in 2013.2 In medical terms, addiction is still primarily a substance-related disorder. Early modern addiction was most often associated with behaviours, not with substances.[3] those behaviours were not. Samuel Purchas’s 1613 collection of travel narratives provides a good demonstration of the range and variety of addictions in the early modern period. In early modern English, ‘addiction’ meant something quite distinct from the modern, medicalized, addiction concept
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have