Early Puritan humor usually endorsed Puritanism at the expense of non-Puritans, but during the eighteenth century, Puritans made bolder jokes at the expense of their own ministers. This article examines how Puritans used humor to undermine social authority and how changes in New England society led to changes in Puritan humor.

This content is only available as a PDF.
© 2009 by The New England Quarterly
2009
You do not currently have access to this content.