
Prophetic Woman
Anne Hutchinson and the Problem of Dissent in the Literature of New England
Amy Schrager Lang(Author)
University of California Press
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 19. August 2022
Book
Hardback
252 pages
978-0-520-37196-5 (ISBN)
Description
Prophetic Woman: Anne Hutchinson and the Problem of Dissent in the Literature of New England offers an incisive exploration of how the story of Anne Hutchinson has been repeatedly reshaped in American cultural narratives to address anxieties about female autonomy, dissent, and individualism. Examining literary representations of Hutchinson, particularly in the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the study uncovers the persistent tension between the self-assertion of women in public discourse and the societal impulse to suppress that assertion. Hutchinson, infamous for her religious radicalism in Puritan Massachusetts, becomes a literary archetype of the "public woman," a figure whose defiance of established authority-whether religious, political, or literary-threatens the fabric of the social order.
This book situates the antinomian controversy not merely as a theological dispute but as a crucial episode in the broader American struggle to balance personal conviction with communal authority. The narrative of Anne Hutchinson, as reframed over centuries, functions as both a cautionary tale and a touchstone for evolving conceptions of individualism, gender roles, and power. By tracing how her story has been invoked and reinterpreted-from Puritan histories to nineteenth-century literature-Prophetic Woman reveals the deep-seated fears surrounding female intellectual and spiritual independence. It is an essential work for those interested in American literary history, feminist criticism, and the intersection of religion and cultural identity in the shaping of the national consciousness.
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1987.
This book situates the antinomian controversy not merely as a theological dispute but as a crucial episode in the broader American struggle to balance personal conviction with communal authority. The narrative of Anne Hutchinson, as reframed over centuries, functions as both a cautionary tale and a touchstone for evolving conceptions of individualism, gender roles, and power. By tracing how her story has been invoked and reinterpreted-from Puritan histories to nineteenth-century literature-Prophetic Woman reveals the deep-seated fears surrounding female intellectual and spiritual independence. It is an essential work for those interested in American literary history, feminist criticism, and the intersection of religion and cultural identity in the shaping of the national consciousness.
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1987.
More details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
1 frontisp.
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-37196-5 (9780520371965)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Amy Schrager Lang
Prophetic Woman
Anne Hutchinson and the Problem of Dissent in the Literature of New England
E-Book
09/2020
1st Edition
De Gruyter
€23.49
Available for download