Thomas Tryon, sheep and the politics of Eden

Plank, Geoffrey (2017) Thomas Tryon, sheep and the politics of Eden. Cultural and Social History, 14 (5). pp. 565-581. ISSN 1478-0038

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Abstract

The English writer Thomas Tryon (1634–1703) believed that sheep were survivors from the original earthly paradise, and that as morally perfect beings they could serve as role models for humans. Tryon advocated vegetarianism, pacifism and an end to slavery as it was practiced in the Caribbean. He was an ambitious and influential reformer on several fronts, but the restoration of Eden was his ultimate goal. Tryon celebrated sheep-like meekness, a stance that complicated his reform efforts. His agenda and sheep-inspired persuasive strategy reflect the momentous intellectual and moral ferment surrounding human relations with animals in the seventeenth century.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	thomas tryon (1634–1703),sheep,vegetarianism,antislavery,quakers
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	21 Mar 2017 01:41
Last Modified:	26 Mar 2024 11:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/63014
DOI:	10.1080/14780038.2017.1375700

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