Anonymous, The Digby Conversion of St Paul

Claire Sponsler (University of Iowa)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.03: English Writing and Culture: Renaissance (Elizabethan and Jacobean periods) , 1485-1625.
Vol. editors: William M. Hamlin (Washington State University), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University), Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1450 - c. 1500

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

The Digby Conversion of St Paul falls within the genre of medieval saints' plays. Its dominant motif is conversion, which it explores through the biblical figure of Saul, who thanks to a miraculous encounter is changed from an avowed persecutor of Christians to a steadfast advocate for the faith. The play, which was composed sometime in the late fifteenth century in the East Midland dialect of Middle English, survives in a single manuscript copy that also includes the better-known Digby Mary Magdalen. Although the Conversion of St Paul at first glance appears to be a rather simple and conventional drama, it contains a number of innovative and even radical features that make it of considerable interest. These …

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1278 words

Citation: Sponsler, Claire. "The Digby Conversion of St Paul". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 March 2002 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1073, accessed 26 November 2024.]

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