Winthrop's Monsters

Mary Dyer and Anne Hutchinson's alleged monstrous births have attracted the attention of scholars working in diverse fields. Rather than seeking a scientific explanation for these events, this project considers the various iterations of these stories as a literary endeavor. If we accept, however reluctantly, that monsters are not real, understanding these stories begins with Winthrop's imagination, rather than with Hutchinson or Dyer's womb.