The Boy King Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation - Book Report/Review Example

Henry VIII had separated the English church from that of the Roman Catholic church, he had done little to differentiate the doctrines and founding principles upon which the Anglican church helped to differentiate itself from its Roman Catholic counterpart. As such, Edward VI took a great interest in political and religious matters and set forth to ordain a Archbishop to oversee religious matters as well as further differentiating the doctrines and practices of the Anglican church from that of Rome (McCulloch 5). 2. What does the title tell you about the content of the book?

What title would you give this book and why? The title was self-explanatory due to the fact that what the reader sees in it is what the reader gets with respect to reading it. However, for purposes of intriguing the reader, this author would have titled the work a bit differently. Instead of merely naming the topic that was to be discussed, the author could have titled the book in the following way: The Growth and Evolution of Protestantism: An Analysis of How Edward VI is an Often Unrecognized Entity in the Foundations of Modern Protestantism.

In this way, the reader is instantly made aware of the fact that Edward VI is the consummate topic which will be analyzed through the lens of protestant evolutionary progression. 3. Think about when the book was written. What is the context of this book? With respect to the context that the book was written in, the reader should be mindful of the year – 2002. This publication date was only one year after the defining events of September 11th and only a few scant months after the US invasion of Afghanistan.

As such, a type of book that detailed the origins of “our” faith (using the pronoun in the sense of traditional American belief systems) was likely to resonate well with the tone of the time. Additionally, a new religious fervor had momentarily swept the nation caused in part by the atrocities of September 11th and the uncertainty of the world as a result. 4. Think about the author’s thesis. Do you agree or disagree with the author? Why / why not? The historical accuracy of the piece is without question.

Diarmaid McCulloch presents a well reasoned and exceptionally well documented historical approach to the information that he offers to the reader. Likewise, the thesis essentially works to elevate Edward VI in terms of the way he has traditionally been viewed with relation to his preeminent role in early Protestant doctrine formation. As such, the author of this brief analysis wholeheartedly agrees with the thesis put forward by McCulloch due to the fact that the information presented has been so thoroughly researched and referenced that it leaves little room for further interpretation. 5. Think about the audience, is the book written for the academic community or is the book written for a general audience?

What is interesting with respect to this particular book is the fact that the author has seemingly split the difference between writing to an academic audience and writing to a general audience. The readability of the work has been somewhat affected due to the fact that the average leisure reader might find some of the layers of analysis and detail oriented facts a bit laborious.