A book about witch trials explores the historical events surrounding the prosecution and execution of individuals accused of practicing witchcraft. Witch trials were prevalent in Europe during the 15th to the 18th centuries and resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. This book delves into the causes and consequences of witch trials, providing a comprehensive analysis of the social, cultural, and religious factors that contributed to the hysteria. It examines the role of superstition, fear, and ignorance in shaping public perceptions of witches and their alleged powers. The book also sheds light on the legal processes involved in witch trials, including interrogation methods and the use of torture to extract confessions. It explores the various types of evidence used against accused witches, such as spectral evidence or testimony from alleged victims of witchcraft.
By John Putnam Demos ,
All legal records are newly transcribed, and included in this edition is a historical introduction, a legal introduction, and a linguistic introduction. The voices of ordinary people ring out from almost every page Ursula Clarke in 1667 hoping William Metcalfe would waste like the dew against the sun ; Lodowick Muggleton declaring that issuing curses did him more good than if a man had given him 40 shillings.
It explores the various types of evidence used against accused witches, such as spectral evidence or testimony from alleged victims of witchcraft. Furthermore, the book delves into the role of influential figures such as judges and clergy in promoting and perpetuating witch trials. It examines the motivations behind their actions, whether driven by religious zeal, personal vendettas, or aspirations for power and control.
Top 10 books about witch-hunts
‘I t is easy to blame the dark,” Sylvia Plath writes in Witch Burning. Stories of witch-hunts show us how the dark is given a name; they talk to us about anxiety and belief and our hunger for scapegoats. All those pious fantasies of women suckling their familiars! Witch-hunts are just a metaphor now, we hope, but we’re drawn to them as much as we ever were.
The White House witch-finder might like to tweet that he’s the hunted, but in reality it’s the marginal, the outspoken, those who lack a voice or upset their neighbours who get pursued. Those least responsible become most at fault: the wanton, the widow, the shrew. Because most of all, witch-hunts have been about controlling women’s sexuality and their tongues. When “one reads of a witch being ducked, of a woman possessed by devils, of a wise woman selling herbs”, Virginia Woolf wrote in A Room of One’s Own, “I think we are on the track of a lost novelist, a suppressed poet”. Women writers, in particular, are recovering these voices.
The books take us back to earlier times of crisis and blame – the Reformation, the English civil war, Puritan New England. My new novel The Wheelwright’s Daughter was inspired by a landslip in 1571 that tore down part of Marcle Ridge in rural Herefordshire. It became famous; it’s still called The Wonder on OS maps. In 1586, William Camden wrote that the hill roused itself up as if out of a deep sleep and moved, roaring, for three days together. What a figure, I thought, for the terrifying dislocations of the Reformation. How might it have been understood, how might people have looked for a scapegoat? Writing in the Brexit era, with looming climate catastrophe and the rise of populism, the parallels with contemporary Britain were inescapable.
The books and stories below variously, wonderfully, follow the threads of the witch-hunt.
1. The Discoverie of Witches by Reginald Scot (1584)
“Truelie I denie not that there are witches,” Scot insists in his Epistle to the Readers, before spending 560 pages doing just that. He meticulously piles up the arguments of the witch-mongers and knocks them down; charmers, soothsayers, alchemists, conjurors and occultists aren’t in hock to the devil, he says, they are charlatans. Shakespeare drew on Scot for Puck in A Midsummer’s Night Dream and the witches in Macbeth. King James I had the book burned. I couldn’t resist giving Scot a walk-on part in my book.
2. The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson
The Pendle witch trials of 1612 led to the deaths of 12 people, including the enigmatic Alice Nutter. My Lancashire grandmother liked to say that we were descended from her but she told a lot of tales. Winterson’s defiant Alice made me wish it was true. The book bristles with magic – there are talking heads, raining teeth and deals with the devil, but there is also a fierce analysis of power and its abuses. Winterson’s stark, poetic prose ensures this stays with you long after you’ve finished reading.
Circe Invidiosa (1892) by JW Waterhouse. Photograph: Alamy
3. Circe by Madeline Miller
I thought I knew the story of the witch who turned Odysseus’s men into pigs, but Miller’s magnificent novel gives Circe her own epic. A daughter of the sun, she is banished to Aiaia where, part-god, part-herbalist, she teaches herself magic. She needs it, for it’s not only men who threaten: the gods, too, can be witch-hunters. The writing shimmers and figures including Daedalus and Odysseus are threaded beautifully into Circe’s story as she learns not only sorcery but love, and what it might mean to be mortal.
4. The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spenser
In Book II, Canto XII, Sir Guyon valiantly hunts down the witch Acrasia in the “Bowre of Blisse”. Acrasia is wily; she stupefies men with sex and turns them into pigs, but her bower is all music, all delight. “Gather the Rose of love whilest yet is time,” a minstrel sings - and all the birds echo his song. Nevertheless, Acrasia gets tied up and Sir Guyon trashes her bower. What keeps me coming back to Spenser’s Elizabethan masterpiece, in all its archaic lushness, is its ambivalence – it lingers wistfully over the garden it condemns.
5. Religion and the Decline of Magic by Keith Thomas
Thomas shows how belief in magic and witchcraft were woven into the way people made sense of the world in the 16th and 17th centuries. The voices of ordinary people ring out from almost every page: Ursula Clarke in 1667 hoping William Metcalfe would “waste like the dew against the sun”; Lodowick Muggleton declaring that issuing curses “did him more good than if a man had given him 40 shillings”. At 800 pages, this is a bible of a book: dip in and in again – it’s worth it.
6. The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown
“Once, I scarcely believed in the devil,” Alice Hopkins begins, before widowhood forces her to go and live with her brother Matthew Hopkins, who is collecting names. We follow Alice’s attempts not only to document but to fathom her brother’s cruelty. “Turn over the stone,” she says, “and find another history, struggling to escape.” We need more of these histories.
‘A warning of tyranny on the way’ … Samantha Colley as Abigail Williams in the Old Vic’s 2014 production of The Crucible. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian
7. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
No list of witch-hunt books would be complete without Miller’s play. Through the story of the Salem witch trials of 1692-93, the play indicts 1950s McCarthyism – and Trump, and Farage, and … When the play is suddenly a hit somewhere, Miller observed, it’s “a warning of tyranny on the way or a reminder of tyranny just past”. Read or watched, the visceral clarity of Miller’s writing lingers like a catch in the breath, abolishing any reassuring sense that witch-hunts happened then, not now.
8. Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell
When orphan Lois Barclay lands in New England in 1691 she finds the ground as unsteady as the water. And well she might. Gaskell shows us a community in terrified opposition to its native forests and people. I love the way she refuses to condescend or simply condemn – she puts the reader in the middle of the panic, feeling it spread. The novella has been overshadowed by Gaskell’s novels, but it’s a small, bright gem.
9. I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé
Tituba, the “black” witch convicted in the Salem trials (she was in fact probably Arawak) tells her own story: a life that began when her mother was raped on a slave ship called Christ the King. Tituba is flawed and passionate; the Puritans denounce her, but we see her as a witch on her own terms, rejecting America: “A vast, cruel land where the spirits only beget evil!”
Trial documents and contemporary narratives are used in this discussion of the practice of witchcraft in seventeenth-century New England.
Moreover, this book explores the aftermath of witch trials, examining the impact on the individuals and communities affected by these events. It considers the long-lasting effects on the social fabric, as well as the efforts made to redress the injustices committed during this dark chapter in history. Throughout the book, there are in-depth case studies of prominent witch trials, highlighting the personal stories and experiences of the accused. These narratives provide a humanistic approach to understanding the psychological and emotional toll that witch trials had on individuals and their families. In conclusion, a book about witch trials provides a comprehensive exploration of this intriguing and often tragic period in history. It aims to educate readers about the social, cultural, and religious forces that led to these trials, while also shedding light on the personal stories of those impacted. Ultimately, such a book serves as a reminder of the dangers of blind belief, the consequences of injustice, and the importance of tolerance and empathy in a society..
Reviews for "Witch Trials and the Suppression of Traditional Knowledge and Practices"
1. John - 1 star
I found "Book about witch trials" to be incredibly dull and uninteresting. The writing style was dry and lacked excitement, making it difficult to stay engaged with the story. Additionally, the characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard to connect with them or care about their individual stories. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to others.
2. Emily - 2 stars
"Book about witch trials" had potential but fell short for me. While the historical aspect of the witch trials was intriguing, I felt that the author failed to fully explore the subject matter. The plot felt rushed and lacked development, leading to a lack of suspense and tension. The characters were also forgettable and lacked complexity, making it hard to invest in their stories. Overall, I was not captivated by this book and found it to be a mediocre read.
3. Sarah - 1 star
I found "Book about witch trials" to be poorly researched and historically inaccurate. As someone with an interest in witch trials, I was disappointed by the lack of attention to detail and the blatant disregard for historical accuracy. The author seemed more focused on creating unnecessary drama and exaggerated characters rather than presenting a realistic portrayal of the time period. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for an accurate and well-researched account of witch trials.
4. Michael - 2 stars
"Book about witch trials" had an interesting premise but failed to deliver. The pacing was slow and dragged on, making it difficult to stay engaged with the story. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, further hindering my ability to connect with the characters. Additionally, I found the ending to be unsatisfying and unfulfilling. While there were some redeeming qualities, overall, I was underwhelmed by this book.