Some elements of style in the religious prose of William Bates.

William Bates (1625-1699) was a very popular preacher and widely read author, whose sermons and treatises were first published from 1674 to 1700. Both his contemporaries and later critics who mention Bates express their admiration of his style. Like other Puritans of the era, Bates favors plainness in sermons. The only stylistic embellishment that he recommends is "similitudes," and these he approves because of their usefulness in explaining religious concepts. He considers the display of any other rhetorical ornamentation to be a hindrance to clear communication of the message of the Gospel. An examination of Bates's writing confirms that he adheres to his own stylistic theories. Bates uses many Biblical images, but he also uses many strikingly original ones drawn from a wide variety of subject areas. Most of Bates's images are expressed as brief, directly stated similes or metaphors, but he also uses personifications, analogies, and implied images in which he suggests one of the terms of comparison only through his choice of verbs. He sometimes offers a series of these images, expressed in parallel structure, all expressing the same literal idea. Bates's frequent use of imagery adds emphasis and interest to his writing. The structure of Bates's sermons and treatises is clear, easy to follow, and consistent throughout his works. He usually begins by citing the text. By way of introduction, he "opens the text," explaining either the context of the verse(s) or the circumstances surrounding the composition of the verse(s). Next he announces the points of doctrine, usually two to four, derived from this text and explains each one in the announced order. Each point is divided into subtopics, which are often further divided into lesser subtopics. Bates offers reasons, examples, analogies, and appeals to authority to support the points of doctrine. He also anticipates objections that might be raised against any given point and provides answers to show that the objections are not valid. Following the doctrine section is the "application" or "use," wherein Bates explains the duties incumbent on Christians as a result of the doctrine. Usually after the last point of the application section his sermons simply end with little or no formal conclusion. An exception is his practice in funeral sermons of adding a character of the deceased and a consolation to the mourners as a conclusion. The structure of his treatises follows the same order and differs from that of his sermons only in length and proportion. Bates's writing exhibits an intermingling of the two types of Anti-Ciceronian or plain style described by Morris Croll. Bates uses all of the characteristic features of "the loose period" and some of the features of "the curt period." Both of these represent the beginnings of modern literary prose style. Although it would be an exaggeration to nominate Bates as a figure of major importance in the development of modern prose style, and this study makes no such claim for him, his prose does illustrate some of the most admirable qualities of the writers of his era.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1985

Author dc:creator

• Stafford, Nora McGhee.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Collmer, R. G., 1926-2018.

• Bates, William, 1625-1699 -- Criticism and interpretation.
• Literature, Modern -- 17th century.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14565

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14565