READING THE DAY OF DOOM (1662)

In his introduction to the twentieth-century edition of Michael Wigglesworth's diary, Edmund Morgan writes: "We have been discovering in recent years that the Puritans were much more human than we once supposed."1 So, I hope, have we in this class. But Morgan continues:

When we begin to think of the Puritans this way, we sooner or later have to reckon with a man like Michael Wigglesworth. The grim pages of his Day of Doom have long been familiar to students of American literature. His diary is even more challenging than his verse to any liberal view of the Puritans. For the man that emerges here calls to mind those stern figures in steeple-crowned hats who represent Puritanism in poplar cartoons. So closely does Michael Wigglesworth approximate the unhappy popular conception of our seventeenth-century forbears that he seems more plausible as a satirical reconstruction than he does as a human being. (v)

This may be a bit harsh, but Wigglesworth, in both his diary and The Day of Doom, hardly stresses the loving and joyous side of Puritanism, and as such may challenge us more than friendlier figures like Bradstreet, Taylor, and even Hooker.

And this is certainly a strange poem. What might explain its tremendous popularity in early New England? First, consider the poem itself. Try reading some of it to yourself out loud. Does this change your experience of the poem? Does it have any appeal for you at all? What moments seem most engaging? What moments are hardest to take? You might consider stanzas 166-181, in which the unborn babies condemned to Hell appeal to God, and he explains why they're damned. What are the implications of God assigning them"the easiest room in Hell" [stanza 181]? Do you see humor in the poem? If so, how is Wigglesworth's humor similar to or different from Taylor's?

Mark Ludwig's introduction to the out-of-print American Eagle edition of The Day of Doom is useful, particularly Ludwig's discussion of "Wigglesworth and the Issues," pp. 4-8. As we've discussed, scholars have recently questioned whether the drop off in church membership actually indicated a real declension in piety, but it's probably fair to assume that in Wigglesworth's eyes, it did. Please read Ludwig's introduction(on reserve or online). Does Ludwig's analysis seem plausible to you? Does it help to explain the poem's popularity?

If all else fails, many of my students have told me that Wigglesworth is very helpful in clarifying their questions about Puritan theology. Particularly useful may be stanzas 144-152, which deal with the justice of predestination. Consider as well the implications of the narrative form of this poem. Is it a strange genre in which to imagine the Judgement Day? Do you know other authors who use Judgement Day in their work?

A hypertext version of Wigglesworth's poem is available at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/WigDoom.html. You can also look at the 1666 London edition at Early English Books Online.

   1. Edmund S. Morgan, Introduction, The Diary of Michael Wigglesworth 1653-1657: The Conscience of a Puritan (1951; Reprint New York: Harper & Row, 1965) v.