The Devil's Disciples: The Makers of the Salem Witchcraft Trials

Hoffer, Professor Peter Charles

ISBN 10: 0801852005 / ISBN 13: 9780801852008

Edité par The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996

A propos de cet article

279pp. Tight copy in mylar-protected dust jacket.

N° de réf. du vendeur 059409

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Devil's Disciples: The Makers of the Salem Witchcraft Trials
• Éditeur: The Johns Hopkins University Press
• Date de parution: 1996
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0801852005
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780801852008
• Reliure: Hardcover
• Édition: 1st Edition
• État de l'article: Fine
• État de la jaquette: Fine
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • History
  • Witchcraft/Wicca
  • Occult

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

This re-examination of the Salem witchcraft trials and their background makes use of new evidence in the areas of panic rumours, teen hysteria, child abuse, and intra-family relations. The accusations and confessions of this legal story resurrect the internal tensions underlying the Salem witchhunts. Drawing on criminal studies, the text brings to life a set of conversations that took place among suspects, accusers, witnesses and spectators.

Présentation de l'éditeur

"A superb legal scholar, Hoffer provides an excellent discussion of the procedures and evidence used in the trials. He reveals that grand juries demanded more tangible evidence of witchcraft that the assertions of afflicted adolescent girls before issuing indictments. Hoffer then demonstrates that, in determining the guilt of the accused, the trial juries essentially followed the lead of the judges, who were insufficiently prepared for witchcraft cases."— American Historical Review "Hoffer's central argument is persuasive and significant . . . [He] furthers understanding of Salem witchcraft by comparing it to allegations of satanic abuse and child molestation in our own time. Without denying the existence of child abuse today or the importance of exposing it to public view, Hoffer compares the Salem witchcraft hysteria to the collective fantasies of victimization that have overtaken United States communities in recent years . . . [He] demonstrates the continued relevance of the Salem episode and its important place in American history." Journal of American History "Reads like a good novel . . . You cannot wait to see what happens next, even though the verdicts were passed in 1692."— New England Historical and Genealogical Register Mention the term witch hunt, and Salem, Massachusetts, springs to mind—and with it the power of superstition, the danger of mob mentality, and our natural fear of gross injustice. For more than a year, between January 1692 and May 1693, the men and women of Salem village lived in heightened fear of witches and their master, the Devil. Hundreds were accused of practicing witchcraft. Many suspects languished in jail for months. Nineteen men and women were hanged; one was pressed to death. Neighbors turned against neighbors, children informed on their parents, and ministers denounced members of their congregations. How could a settled community turn so viciously against i