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The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane by Mark Rutherford.

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  1. Chapter 1

    Epigraph

    The epigraph quotes Virgil's Aeneid and a Scots translation by Gawain Douglas, evoking themes of endurance through trials and the promise of a destined homeland.

  2. Chapter 2

    The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane

    The chapter details the internal upheaval within the Tanner's Lane congregation following George Allen's excommunication, highlighting the power struggles, religious hypocrisy, and the personal and political tensions that drive the community apart.

  3. Chapter 3

    I: The World Outside

    Zachariah Coleman, a poor printer in Clerkenwell, witnesses the departure of Louis XVIII from London amid a cheering crowd. He refuses to remove his hat, is attacked by a drayman, and is rescued by a well-dressed stranger, Major Maitland. Later, Maitland visits Zachariah's home, discusses politics, and invites him to join the 'Friends of the People'. The chapter explores Zachariah's inner life—his capacity for love, his religious faith, and his quiet heroism in enduring a joyless existence.

  4. Chapter 4

    Outside Pike Street

    Major Maitland visits Zachariah's home, meets his wife, and discusses domestic life, politics, and religion. Zachariah attends a meeting of the Friends of the People Club, where debates about reform and revolution occur, and he encounters a shoemaker who challenges his views.

  5. Chapter 5

    III: The Theatre

    Major Maitland invites Zachariah and his wife to the theatre to see Edmund Kean in 'Othello'. Zachariah is delayed by work, and his wife grows impatient. She ultimately leaves with the Major, leaving a ticket and note for Zachariah, which are accidentally burned. Zachariah arrives home to find them gone, feels neglected, but later goes to the theatre and is deeply moved by the performance. The next morning, the misunderstanding is cleared up, and the couple shares a rare moment of happiness.

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  1. Chapter 6IV: A Friend of the People
  2. Chapter 7V: The Horizon Widens
  3. Chapter 8VI: Tea à la Mode
  4. Chapter 9VII: Jephthah
  5. Chapter 10VIII: Unconventional Justice
  6. Chapter 11IX: A Strain on the Cable
  7. Chapter 12Disintegration by Degrees
  8. Chapter 13XI: Politics and Pauline
  9. Chapter 14XII: One Body and One Spirit
  10. Chapter 15XIII: To the Greeks Foolishness
  11. Chapter 16XIV: The School of Adversity: The Sixth Form Thereof
  12. Chapter 17End of the Beginning
  13. Chapter 18XVI: Cowfold
  14. Chapter 19XVII: When Wilt Thou Arise Out of Thy Sleep? Yet a Little Sleep
  15. Chapter 20A Religious Picnic
  16. Chapter 21XIX: “The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like Unto Leaven”
  17. Chapter 22The Reverend Thomas Broad’s Exposition of Romans 8:7
  18. Chapter 23XXI: The Wisdom of the Serpent
  19. Chapter 24XXII: The Oracle Warns—After the Event
  20. Chapter 25XXIII: Further Development
  21. Chapter 26XXIV: “I Came Not to Send Peace, but a Sword”
  22. Chapter 27XXV: “And a Man’s Foes Shall Be They of His Own Household”
  23. Chapter 28XXVI: A Professional Consultation
  24. Chapter 29Mr. Broad's Last Church Meeting—Latimer Chapel
  25. Chapter 30Endnotes