New Books Network Sylvia D. Hoffert, "Wagging Tongues and Tittle Tattle: Gossip, Rumor, and Reputation in a Small Southern Town" (U Georgia Press, 2025)
Dec 8, 2025
Dr. Sylvia D. Hoffert, an expert in American and women's history, dives into the nuances of gossip and rumor in antebellum Hillsborough, North Carolina. She reveals how gossip acted as social glue, shaping relationships and creating in-groups and out-groups. Hoffert discusses striking cases such as the malicious rumors surrounding Mary Smith, and how free Black residents managed their reputations. She also explores the role of gossip in enslaved communities, community power dynamics, and its surprising connections to mental health in elite women.
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Gossip Builds Social Order
- Gossip structures small-town relationships by signaling who belongs and who does not.
- Sylvia D. Hoffert argues gossip forms community norms and enforces social boundaries.
Gossip Versus Rumor
- Hoffert distinguishes gossip as judgment about past behavior and rumor as anticipatory and action-demanding.
- Rumors often urge immediate responses, like calling in loans or guarding against rebellion.
Mary Smith's Savage Rumor
- A letter defends Mary Smith against rumors she boiled peas down a slave's throat and beat others with tongs.
- Hoffert uses this story to show how malicious gossip could single out vulnerable community members.
