Prospero's America

Download or read book Prospero's America written by Walter W. Woodward and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2011-06-07 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Prospero’s America, Walter W. Woodward examines the transfer of alchemical culture to America by John Winthrop, Jr., one of English colonization’s early giants. Winthrop participated in a pan-European network of natural philosophers who believed alchemy could improve the human condition and hasten Christ’s Second Coming. Woodward demonstrates the influence of Winthrop and his philosophy on New England’s cultural formation: its settlement, economy, religious toleration, Indian relations, medical practice, witchcraft prosecution, and imperial diplomacy. Prospero’s America reconceptualizes the significance of early modern science in shaping New England hand in hand with Puritanism and politics.