TY  - BOOK
AU  - Delano,Sterling F.
TI  - Brook Farm: the dark side of utopia 
SN  - 0674011600 (alk. paper)
AV  - HX656.B8 D45 2004
U1  - 307.77/09744/61 22
PY  - 2004///
CY  - Cambridge, Mass.
PB  - Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
KW  - Brook Farm Phalanx (West Roxbury, Boston, Mass.)
KW  - Collective settlements
KW  - Massachusetts
KW  - Boston
KW  - History
KW  - Transcendentalism (New England)
N1  - Includes bibliographical references (p. [331]-414) and index
N2  - "Life at Brook Farm resembled an Arcadian adventure, in which the days began with the choir singing Mozart and Haydn and ended with drama and dancing. But how accurate is this image? In the first comprehensive examination of the famous utopian community in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Sterling Delano reveals a surprisingly grim side to paradise as the Brook Farmers faced relentless financial pressures, a declining faith in their leaders, and smoldering class antagonisms." "Delano weaves through this remarkable story the voices of the Brook Farmers themselves, including their founder, George Ripley. Ripley founded Brook Farm in 1841 as an agrarian and pastoral society that would "insure a more natural union between intellectual and manual labor," yet he was surprisingly unprepared to lead it. Three years after its founding, Brook Farm was transformed into an industrial Phalanx. Longtime members departed, and key supporters withdrew. A smallpox scare, a financial lawsuit filed by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and a devastating fire all contributed to the community's ultimate demise. Despite its failure, however, the Brook Farmers recalled only its positive aspects, including the opportunities there for women and its progressive educational program."--BOOK JACKET
ER  -