Puritan Experience in 17th Century New England: The Witch-Hunt Episode through the Works of John Winthrop and Cotton Mather

Abstract

This paper outlines the relationship between how the reality of the 17th century
New England affected literature and how literature affected the Puritan reality. To achieve
this aim, the paper will be developed through three works: the sermon preached by John
Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity (1630); and two of the major works of Cotton Mather:
Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions (1689) and Wonders of the
Invisible World (1693). This study offers an introduction to Puritanism as well as a
descriptive account of the episode of witch-hunt in Salem to be able to evince the reciprocity
between literature and reality later on in the study. The findings from this research illustrate
how a religious belief that ensued in the Reformation of the 16th century changed the way
society thought and lived as well as how the society was reflected in literature.