Puritans behaving badly : gender, punishment, and religion in early America / Monica D. Fitzgerald, Saint Mary's College of California.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fitzgerald, Monica D., 1966- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Puritans--New England--History--17th century.

Puritans.

Sex role--Religious aspects.

Puritan women.

Social conditions.

New England.

History.

Puritan women--New England--Social conditions.

Sex role--Religious aspects--Puritans.

Sex role.

Church discipline--History.

Church discipline.

Protestant churches--Doctrines.

Protestant churches.

New England--Religious life and customs.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 177 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 2020.

Summary:

"The gossip surrounding Content Mason and Peter Wood had circulated for years. Many thought the young widow Mason would quickly remarry. Instead, she found company with the already-married Mr. Wood. Juicy gossip surrounding their relationship turned into serious accusations once Peter's wife conspicuously left town after the birth of Content's second illegitimate child. Content realized that they had to get away. So she packed what she could from her father's house, pocketed some money, and fled with Peter. Along with all of her hurried thoughts on abandoning her home, she must have conceded that life could take unexpected turns. Thirteen years prior, in 1679, the twenty-year-old Content was just beginning her married life and settling in as a goodwife in the Massachusetts Bay town of Dorchester. Unfortunately, her husband died after only three years of marriage, leaving Content a young widow with two little children. She must have had suitors over the years, but no single man could win her hand in marriage. Rumors started to spread about exactly where her heart wandered. Things got worse when Content and Peter's wife, Abigail, both delivered sons only ten days apart, in the spring of 1688. Not until a few years later, though, with the birth of Content's second illegitimate baby, did things come to a head"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Disciplining the sinful: A gendered lived religion

The great hen squabble and regulating the godly path

Drunkards and fornicators on meeting house hill: Gendered sin and discipline

Wicked tongues and wayward behavior: The language of confession

A "blubbering" war hero and the middle ground of masculinity: The case of Captian John Underhill

"Unquiet frame of spirit:" Ann Hibbens, a troublesom and insubordinate woman

Conclusion: Three generations in the wilderness: Gendered Puritanism and separate spheres.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781108478786

1108478786

OCLC:

1122159047