The people of colonial New England lived in a densely metaphoric landscape--a world where familiars invaded bodies without warning; witches passed with ease through locked doors; and houses blew down in gusts of angry; providential wind. Meaning; Robert St. George argues; was layered; often indirect; and inextricably intertwined with memory; apprehension; and imagination. By exploring the linkages between such cultural expressions as seventeenth-century farmsteads; witchcraft narratives; eighteenth-century crowd violence; and popular portraits of New England Federalists; St. George demonstrates that in early New England; things mattered as much as words in the shaping of metaphor. These forms of cultural representation--architecture and gravestones; metaphysical poetry and sermons; popular religion and labor politics--are connected through what St. George calls a 'poetics of implication.' Words; objects; and actions; referentially interdependent; demonstrate the continued resilience and power of seventeenth-century popular culture throughout the eighteenth century. Illuminating their interconnectedness; St. George calls into question the actual impact of the so-called Enlightenment; suggesting just how long a shadow the colonial climate of fear and inner instability cast over the warm glow of the early national period.
#607699 in Books Duane G Meyer 1987-08-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.45 x .69 x 5.13l; .62 #File Name: 0807841994230 pagesThe Highland Scots of North Carolina 1732 1776
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good Book to Have in Your LibraryBy Lin R.I have had the abbreviated version of this book; which has been sold at historic sites and Highland games in NC; for many years. It is a good little book but the expanded version is much better and I do recommend it. The author has spent a lot of time researching the Highland migration to NC; its benefits; problems and what happened in the aftermath of the American Revolution in North Carolina. The book is well footnoted and contains some statistical information which; while it is available in the NC archives; is nice to have in this interesting volume. I can certainly recommend the book as a first book to have on this subject and also for the more advanced student of the Scottish Highland immigrant.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting NC HistoryBy Anne M. HunterEven though the book doesn't seem to confirm our family's belief that the McKenzies settled in SE North Carolina from the highlands in the 1760s; it was still a fascinating book to read. I wonder if there's anything left to see at Cross Creek; near Fayetteville; the center of the Highlander settlements along the Cape Fear River. I've heard it's mostly turned into a shopping mall; which is oddly appropriately given that it was an 18th century trading center. It's an easy read; 162 pages long plus back matter. I wish it went forward past 1765.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Overview and Starting Place for Scottish Genealogy in this areaBy Laocoon143The essential overview of Highland Scots' migration and settlement in North Carolina. Detailed; but never loses sight of the important factors. This book works well for both research and an overview. It's an important starting place for anyone researching their Scottish ancestors.
