David D. Hall's Worlds Of Wonder Days Of Judgment

Dive into the absolutely captivating world of wonders and enchantment. David D. Hall and his book Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment pulls the reader into the shoes of a seventeenth-century New England Puritan. The practices of the society and the religious teachings were spread through various paraphernalia and Hall illustrated each and every topic beautifully. In this book, get ready for the immersion into the printed text, wonder-filled, and the ritualistic world of the Puritans in the seventeenth century. Along with these topics, a short explanation the Puritan religion and hard-hitting critics are is to follow.

The first argument Hall established was that the seventeenth-century Puritan society was surprising literate and citizens were able to read religious texts such as the all holy bible to other books, such as texts depicting natural disasters. He argued that printed text back in seventeenth-century New England was significance and extremely apparent as citizens would get involved in “a mode of reading that involved rereading certain texts- and not once or twice, but ‘100 and 100 times’” (Hall 42). Hall expertly elaborated that this Puritan society read and interpreted the

newly translated holy scripture and stated that these practices were at the core of their everyday life in or out of the church. Hall goes on and establishes that London printers and booksellers noticed the three main groups of readers: the respectable godly book buyer, the amusement seeking romance connoisseur and thrill-seeker for the strange (Hall 52). Besides the utter obsession over religious texts and practices, recreation was sought after in books of many different kinds. Printed text was a necessary and crucial part of both this seventeenth-century New England society and this first chapter.
By far the most interesting argument, Hall discusses is how the Puritans were mystified negatively by fantastical natural phenomena. These natural occurrences were wonders described as “any event people perceived as disturbing the normal order of things- a deformity of nature such as a ‘monster’ birth, a storm or devastating fire” (Hall 72). As a critic, this line encouraged me to read more and to discover the mystery of wonders. Reading on, one later on discovers that earthquakes to crop failure were signs or “wonders [that] evidenced the will of God” (Hall 72). Fire, storms, and earthquakes frightened these oblivious Puritan citizens as they used their strict religious views to interpret them. The interpretation by the congregation of holy scripture and the lack of scientific thinking fueled the unrelenting fear of not receiving God’s salvation and the punishment of the devil (Hall 80). This argument was driven by the vivid picture painted of the unruly anxiety of everyday life for these religious communities. The horror and the acceleration of this argument made this book a must read.
Besides the terrible reality of this seventeenth-century puritan society, it had a few tricks up its sleeve. These tricks were argued by Hall to be rituals such as fast days, prayer, and confession (Hall 166). At this point in the book, a reader may notice a trend with these cherished rituals; it was “the great cycle of sinning and repentance” (Hall 167). This cycle of brutal natural disasters and holy rituals was unforgiving but the only weapon these Puritans knew to combat the clutches of hell and the devil himself. The most captivating example of the use of rituals were by Samuel Sewall as ”he and his family... held private fast asking Gods to bless the place where the now lived” (Hall 217). Sewall’s story was by far the most enriching read as it gave a face to the text. This particular argument was vital to the storytelling of this book.
For those uneducated on this topic of Puritan religion, the main ideas are that it is centered over the teaching of keeping the holy covenant with God. The covenant with Abraham was kept through reading the bible in and out the church, doing godly actions, participating in sacraments, attending church, and listening to its sermons as described in chapter three (Hall 117). These practices held great importance to each church-goer as it kindled their own faith and gave them hope in their bleak environment.
The main two critics on this book have to be the following: its excessiveness in examples and the lack of separation amongst chapters.

These two critics are bold but necessary for the enjoyment of the vast audience. When reading the first chapter, for example, the excessiveness of names was confusing. Yes, the examples such as Katherine Branch to John Bradford were entertaining but hard to keep track of (Hall 21). It came to a point where names got mixed up which this dampened the enjoyment of reading. Next, the chapters were vast and it seemed never ending. It is highly recommended to have shorter chapters to give the book a sense of cohesion. These two examples did not hinder the book information wise but to a reader, fixing these minor problems will offer more joy to the

reader.
Other than these two critics, the book excelled in imagery and examples. Wonders were painted into the reader's head. The thought of unnatural wonders such as storms and fires ignited the interest to this book. That solid attribute made the book a real page turner. While imagery was perfect, examples made the book relatable. Samuel Sewall example at the end of the book made this text rememberable as it gave a personal touch. The imagery and examples made this text as enchanted as the world of wonders back then in the seventeenth century.
With around 400 pages of pure Puritan information, David D. Hall and his book Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment pulls the reader into seventeenth-century New England. Once acquainted with the elaborate detail and the imagery illustrated by Hall, this text came to life. The world of wonders was captured in the printed texts, the enchanted vantage point of the congregation and the religious rituals of the everyday. Even though some critics were visible the book hit hard with perfect imagery and examples. David D. Hall and his book Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment was a real page turner and is highly recommended to readers seeking the enchanted.