Greenberg shows how planters and statesmen grappled with contradictory ideas and uses of power . . . His fresh insights on statesmanship; dueling; political parties and representation; the proslavery movement; and the origins and dynamics of Southern nationalism and secession give new vigor to these topics.—Library Journal
#722980 in Books Elizabeth Reis 1999-01-21Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .66 x 6.04l; .70 #File Name: 0801486114212 pagesDamned Women Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Gender and Puritan Theology in New EnglandBy kronos_16This book has been used in graduate courses that I took as a student; specifically for a Religion in Colonial America graduate lecture/discussion. The author presents a thoughtful consideration of gender and the ways in which it shapes religious experience; eschewing a lengthy analysis of Salem itself in favor of a fascinating study of Puritan theology of the seventeenth century and the ways in which it intersected with understandings of gender to structure the lives of New England Puritans. The most fascinating aspect to me was the evidence for different responses to sin - men tended to externalize their bad behavior as something committed but not an integral aspect of their inward character; while women tended to internalize their sins as a sign of their soul's depravity. When mixed with the fatalistic/nihilistic aspects of Calvinist predetermination this created an atmosphere of desperation and a crisis of salvation and faith that helps understand the passionate affirmations of bewitchment that accompanied the court confessions of women accused of witchcraft. This text is useful for anyone interested in Puritans; religion in the 1600s; and gender. I will be using this book in the undergraduate course that I am teaching in the fall as a more specific study of gender's influence on colonial British society and religion. A good companion text to read regarding the confessional relationship and power dynamics inherent in these confrontations; though in a different context; is Carlo Ginzburg's "The Cheese and the Worms;" which is a microhistorical treatment of an obscure Italian Inquisition case brought against a radical miller named Menocchio that also addresses common beliefs that are often in opposition to; or differ from; institutional religious doctrine.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy S PolonskiQuick delivery and exactly what I needed.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy D. SmithOrdered for school.
