Prophetic Woman

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.