The Shakespeares and "The Old Faith" is a doctoral dissertation with outstanding merits. It was not only reviewed in a major newspaper and leading periodicals but also reissued within a year following its original publication in 1946.
Its author, John Henry de Groot (1902-1974), was professor of English at Brooklyn College from 1946 until 1967. His original training was, however, for the Presbyterian ministry. It should therefore seem all the more surprising that it is to de Groot that we owe a full-scale presentation and convincing demonstration about a much-ignored fact concerning the greatest English man of letters, William Shakespeare. He was not only born and raised a Catholic, but kept a basic attachment to his Catholic faith throughout very turbulent times, political and personal. Such is the perspective within which his many references to Christian religion and his fondness for biblical expressions obtain their genuine meaning.
The Postscript probes into the reasons why such scholarly work has failed to receive proper appreciation on the part of not a few Shakespeare scholars. Written by Stanley L. Jaki, distinguished University Professor at Seton Hall University and winner of the Templeton Prize for 1987, the Postscript also emphasizes the relevance of this book for those who are eager to keep in focus the contributions of Catholicism to modern culture.
(276pp. 1995.) 19.00 USD + S+H