Amanda Porterfield documents the claim that for Puritan men and women alike the ideals of selfhood were conveyed by female images. Constructed largely by men, Porterfield argues, these female images taught self-control, shaped pious ideals, and also established the standards against which the moral character of actual women was measured. Porterfield's work reflects a synthesis of literary critical and historical methods, combining analysis of Puritan theological writings with detailed examinations of historical records of changing patterns of church membership and domestic life.
Reviews
'appealing and well argued' Mary Beth Norton, Cornell University, The Historian (US)



Book Information
ISBN 9780195068214
Author Amanda Porterfield
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 412g
Dimensions(mm) 217mm * 146mm * 23mm