The Science of the Soul in Colonial New England

Sarah Rivett is professor of English and American studies at Princeton University.

An extraordinary work of interdisciplinary scholarship and a rich and rewarding read." - New England Quarterly "A careful and accomplished book: thorough in its mining of seventeenth-century print culture; revisionary in its placement of key Enlightenment texts in conversation with more obscure theological sources; and masterful in its treatment of very tricky, sinuous threads of religious, scientific, and intellectual history." - Early American Literature "[An] ambitious book." - Journal of American History "This deeply intelligent book is essential reading for scholars of Puritan studies, early American literature and religious history more broadly, and the history of science. Its cogent writing and sophisticated argument will make it an important addition to reading lists for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in those fields for a long time to come." - The Historian "Rivett's book reminds us of the interconnectedness of seemingly distinct ways of knowing, and suggests that modernity may inhere in propensity to question what is appropriate to be known." - American Historical Review "[A] sophisticated and sensitive reading of theology and spirituality. . . . Fascinating." - William and Mary Quarterly "A beautifully written and well-considered account of a key moment in the American cultures of knowledge." - Catholic Historical Review "The breadth and detail of Rivett's The Science of the Soul in Colonial New England are impressive, and her argument is often compelling." - William and Mary Quarterly An impressive display of interdisciplinary scholarship.--American Studies Journal "A fascinating study of how colonial believers wrestled with the age-old question: How do I know I am saved?" - Journal of the North Carolina Association of Historians