Small Things That Cleave: Hannah Allen’s Scissors and Her Religious Melancholy

Content note: suicide, self-harm, domestic violence Hannah Allen’s Satan’s Methods and Malice Baffled is an extraordinary text from 1683 that details Allen’s experiences of self-harm and suicidal ideation. This article analyzes these themes by focusing on a small but significant object: Allen’s pair...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inStudies in English literature, 1500-1900 Vol. 62; no. 3; pp. 459 - 489
Main Author Seymour, Laura
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 01.06.2022
Subjects
17th century
Allen, Hannah
Autobiographies
Bible
Brochures
Christianity
Circumcision
Emotions
Religion
Spirituality
Writing
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Summary:Content note: suicide, self-harm, domestic violence Hannah Allen’s Satan’s Methods and Malice Baffled is an extraordinary text from 1683 that details Allen’s experiences of self-harm and suicidal ideation. This article analyzes these themes by focusing on a small but significant object: Allen’s pair(s) of scissors, which she uses as instruments of self-injury and tools for communication. Placing Satan’s Methods within the context of emotional history, this article uncovers the rich religious meanings of Allen’s acts of self-wounding.
ISSN:0039-3657
1522-9270
1522-9270
DOI:10.1353/sel.2022.a935989