A Place Called Paradise
A Place Called Paradise: Culture & Community In Northampton, Massachusetts, 1654-2004 Kerry W. Buckley (Editor)
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
ISBN: 1558494855
Edition: Hardcover; 2004-12-30
Summary:
In 1790, President Timothy Dwight of Yale offered this description of
Northampton, a town situated on the banks of the Connecticut River in
western Massachusetts: "The inhabitants of this valley possess a
common character," he remarked. "Even the beauty of the scenery,
scarcely found in the same degree elsewhere, becomes a source of
pride as well as enjoyment." For Dwight, the appeal of the place lay
in its proportions, which epitomized eighteenth-century ideas about
the proper balance between the natural world and the built
environment. Northampton evoked equally powerful visions in others.
To minister Jonathan Edwards it was a stage for the enactment of
God's drama of saving grace and redemption, while to Swedish soprano
Jenny Lind it was simply a "paradise." During the 1920s Northampton
became Main Street USA--a reassuring backdrop for the presidency of
the city's former mayor, Calvin Coolidge. But for Smith College
professor Newton Arvin, it was the dark side of small-town America
that surfaced during the early decades of the Cold War. From
witchcraft trials to Shays' Rebellion, from Sojourner Truth and the
utopian abolitionists to Sylvester Graham and diet reform, many of
the main currents of American life have flowed through this New
England river town. To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the
founding of Northampton, "A Place Called Paradise" brings together a
broad range of writing on the city's rich heritage. Edited with an
introduction by Kerry W. Buckley, the volume includes essays by John
Demos, Christopher Clark, Nell Irvin Painter, David W. Blight, and
other distinguished scholars who have found this region fertile
ground for research. Together their writings not only chronicle the
history of a place but illustrate, in microcosm, the dynamics at work
in the larger sweep of America's past.
We query many merchants so that you can instantly
compare prices and
availability. You can even check historic prices and subscribe
for notifications. For a manual check, clicking on a link will open a
new window with a search for this book on the merchant's site of your
choice.
