Sir Thomas Browne

Book excerpt: This book is a study of Sir Thomas Browne and his work as a whole: of the thinker as he appears in the context of contemporary prejudice on the one hand and the growth of science and scepticism on the other: of the rational man who was at the same time deeply religious, capable of 'being in uncertainties' in a dogmatic age. From this appreciation of Browne's personality, Mrs Bennett leads us to a fresh understanding of his writings. She examines each work in detail, with commentary and quotation where these seem needed. What emerges most clearly from this treatment is the consistency of his thinking, the internal logic of all he wrote; and because Browne wrote to enlighten rather than to entertain, a just appreciation of his style depends on understanding what he was expressing and Mrs Bennett leads us to the central issues of Browne's work.