In the literary world, a “controversialist” is a provocateur who advocates for or against a cause. During the recusancy, controversialists were active on both sides of the Anglican/Catholic schism, with each work spawning inevitable retorts that frequently stretched on for years. Controversial works typically took the form of detailed, highly structured refutations based on historical and theological grounds. In addition, these texts were often rife with florid and inflammatory insults directed at competing authors and clergymen.

Due to the hyperbolic tenor of their language, many of these works may appear whimsical and amusing to the modern reader. However, the literary feuds in which recusant controversialists engaged had potentially dire repercussions. English Catholics had to either print their books clandestinely or abroad for fear of severe penalties, which ranged from fines through incarceration or even, in some cas-es, execution. For this reason, recusant works in general were often written pseudonymously or published under false imprints that bore the names of fictional places and non-existent firms.