Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz's The Battle on the Plane of Sedgemoor that is About the Failure of Fundamentalism

Abstract

The author analyzes The Battle on the Plane of Sedgemoor in the context of The History of England written by Th.B. Macaulay to which Iwaszkiewicz referred. The surprising faithfulness towards the historical sources allows us to state that it is a story about the religious struggle in England in the 17th century, and not a parabola of the times of occupation, as researches thought, being influenced by the time the work was written (1942). Iwaszkiewicz is very critical in his presentation about the two fighting parties: Catholics and Protestants, and shows that emotional engagement and religious fundamentalism push Anna towards a reckless act, and decide about her life defeat.