This exhaustive treatment of the Puritan movement covers its doctrines, its people, its effects on politics and culture, and its enduring legacy in modern Britain and America. Puritanism began in the 1530s as a reform movement within the Church of England. It endured into the 18th century. In between, it powerfully influenced the course of political events both in Britain and in the United States. Puritanism shaped the American colonies, particularly New England. It was a key ingredient in literature, from authors as diverse as John Milton and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Although Puritanism as a formal movement has been gone for more than 300 years, its influence continues on the mores and norms of America and Britain. This ambitious work contains nearly 700 entries covering people, events, ideas, and doctrines--the whole of Puritanism. Exhaustive and authoritative, it draws on the work of more than 80 leading scholars in the field. Impeccable scholarship combines with eminent readability to make this a valuable work for all readers and researchers from secondary school up. Nearly 700 entries cover the entire spectrum of Puritanism: people, places, events, doctrines, culture, and politics More than 80 leading scholars provide authoritative information in readable, accessible form Primary source documents, from essays by influential Puritan leaders to excerpts from diaries of everyday people, illuminate the concerns of Puritans in their own words Numerous illustrations include portraits of Puritan figures, photographs of historic sites, and images of historical events A glossary gives quick reference for such unfamiliar terms as antinomianism, conventicles, familist, and Socinian

This exhaustive treatment of the Puritan movement covers its doctrines, its people, its effects on politics and culture, and its enduring legacy in modern Britain and America. Puritanism began in the 1530s as a reform movement within the Church of England. It endured into the 18th century. In between, it powerfully influenced the course of political events both in Britain and in the United States. Puritanism shaped the American colonies, particularly New England. It was a key ingredient in literature, from authors as diverse as John Milton and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Although Puritanism as a formal movement has been gone for more than 300 years, its influence continues on the mores and norms of America and Britain. This ambitious work contains nearly 700 entries covering people, events, ideas, and doctrines--the whole of Puritanism. Exhaustive and authoritative, it draws on the work of more than 80 leading scholars in the field. Impeccable scholarship combines with eminent readability to make this a valuable work for all readers and researchers from secondary school up. Nearly 700 entries cover the entire spectrum of Puritanism: people, places, events, doctrines, culture, and politics More than 80 leading scholars provide authoritative information in readable, accessible form Primary source documents, from essays by influential Puritan leaders to excerpts from diaries of everyday people, illuminate the concerns of Puritans in their own words Numerous illustrations include portraits of Puritan figures, photographs of historic sites, and images of historical events A glossary gives quick reference for such unfamiliar terms as antinomianism, conventicles, familist, and Socinian

For generations, scholars have imagined American puritans as religious enthusiasts, fleeing persecution, finding refuge in Massachusetts, and founding 'America'. The puritans have been read as a product of New England and the origin of American exceptionalism. This History challenges the usual understanding of American puritans, offering new ways of reading their history and their literary culture. Together, an international team of authors make clear that puritan America cannot be thought of apart from Native America, and that its literature is also grounded in Britain, Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and networks that spanned the globe. Each chapter focuses on a single place, method, idea, or context to read familiar texts anew and to introduce forgotten or neglected voices and writings. A History of American Puritan Literature is a collaborative effort to create not a singular literary history, but a series of interlocked new histories of American puritan literature.