Quakers and the Arts
Explores the relationships between Quaker faith, experience, and artistic expression in literature, theater, and other arts. Considers how Quaker lives and beliefs inspire creative work, and how artists interpret questions of spirituality, conscience, identity, and social witness.
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Caroline Emelia Stephen (1834-1909) and Virginia Woolf (1882-1941): A Quaker Influence on Modern English Literature
This article explores the influence of Quaker theologian Caroline Emelia Stephen on her niece, modern English writer Virginia Woolf. It examines their family backgrounds, Caroline’s spiritual and mystical Quaker beliefs, and how these shaped Woolf’s pacifism, feminism, and literary innovation. The piece also highlights Caroline’s rational mysticism and Woolf’s natural mysticism as key components in…
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Mary Dyer Musings – A Measure of Light , A Novel by Beth Powning, and Mary’s Joy, a Play by Jeanmarie Simpson
Playwright Jeanmarie Simpson reflects on the life and enduring mystery of Quaker martyr Mary Dyer while comparing Beth Powning’s historical novel *A Measure of Light* with her own one-woman play, *Mary’s Joy*. She examines how both works imaginatively interpret Dyer’s marriage, motherhood, religious awakening, persecution, and decision to face execution for defying Massachusetts’s ban on…