Abstract

Protestants are more notable in popular culture in the modern period for their absence, rather than their prominence. It is the purpose of this chapter to explore what that statement means, why it is so, and what the consequences are. The claim may be a cause of surprise given the evident influence of Protestantism in social, cultural, political, economic, and religious life throughout the English-speaking West (and beyond) across many centuries. But it is an important observation to make, both to press a contemporary cultural interpreter to ask why and when Protestantism does become explicitly present, and what it means that, for much of the time, Protestantism is either simply not present, or its presence is hidden (consciously or unconsciously) or merely implied.