Jeanne Guyon was a seventeenth-century French mystic and Quietist, and a fascinating figure in the court of Louis XIV. Marginalized and ignored by French historians for two centuries after her death, her spiritual writings have nonetheless remained consistently popular among English-speaking audiences. Guyon had a strong influence among Quakers and Methodists in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and her message of self-abnegation and the complete abandonment of individual desires in conformity to God s will continues to inspire many Christians today.

This volume offers new, contemporary translations of her most important spiritual writings, including her Short and Easy Method of Prayer and her Commentary on the Song of Songs, never-before-translated letters of spiritual direction, and selections from her autobiography. The most comprehensive introduction to Guyon s life, theology, and historical context available in English examines Guyon s life and historical context, focusing on the religious and political conflicts responsible for her persecution and eventual imprisonment in the dreaded Bastille and examining her spiritual influences and theological contributions.