Love and Longing in the 17th Century: Five Myths About the Puritans
When:
Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 6:00p -
7:30p
Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 6:00p -
7:30p
Where:
Boston Public Library (Commonwealth Salon)
700 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
Admission:
FREE
Categories:
Date Idea, Lectures & Conferences, Meetup
Event website:
http://passionate_puritans_14sept.eventbrite.com
“Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.”
- H. L. Mencken
In the popular imagination, the Puritans were killjoys who banned everything from smiling to singing, and put people in the stocks for sneezing on Sunday. They may be best remembered as hating sex—giving us the term “puritanical” to describe the prudish. The truth, however, is very different—and much more interesting. In this session, Lori Stokes takes on the myths about the Puritans to reveal their deeply-held, passionately-felt beliefs about love, life, and longing.
Come hear a lively talk on Puritan beliefs about love that also sheds light on witch-hunting and theocracy in New England, Anne Hutchinson and her banishment, and freedom of religion in early Massachusetts.
About the speaker
Lori Stokes, PhD, has been a writer, editor, and instructional designer at WGBH Education. She studies the founding decades of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, focusing on the period from 1630-80 when the forms of church and state were put in place that would shape Massachusetts and American history for centuries to come. Now at the Congregational Library & Archives, she is working on a walking tour app of 17th-century Boston, and also is an editor of CLA’s Hidden Histories project.
About Boston Charter Day
Every fall, in honor of the naming of Boston, the Partnership of Historic Bostons hosts the Boston Charter Day series of events, a multitude of free programs exploring an intriguing aspect of Puritan life. This year’s Boston Charter Day theme is Passionate Puritans: Marriage, Love, and Sex in 17th-Century Massachusetts. To see a list of the entire series of FREE events, please visit our website at http://www.historicbostons.org.
