Challenges the perception of the figure of the puritan as dour and repressive, arguing that they were portrayed in literature of the period as deviant, licentio... » 

Challenges the perception of the figure of the puritan as dour and repressive, arguing that they were portrayed in literature of the period as deviant, licentious and transgressive. The book sheds light on the role played by anti-puritan rhetoric. It contends that such representations served an important social role. «