A reassessment of the authorship of the Cheap repository tracts.

Abstract

This thesis contends that the extent of Hannah More's contribution to the Cheap Repository has never been definitively established and that there is a need for clarification of the authorship of individual tracts. This thesis details the current state of bibliographical scholarship for the Cheap Repository Tracts and identifies which tracts can be attributed conclusively, which can only be made tentatively, and those for which attribution must be reserved pending a non-traditional attribution study. This thesis will also explore the context in which the Cheap Repository Tracts were published and claims that ascertaining the authorship of individual tracts contributes productively to future criticism of the tracts within their socio-historical, theological and political context.