This historical narrative of the Salem witch trials takes its dialogue from actual trial records but applies modern psychiatric knowledge to the witchcraft hysteria. Starkey's sense of drama also vividly recreates the atmosphere of pity and terror that fostered the evil and suffering of this human tragedy.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
This historical narrative of the Salem witch trials takes its dialogue from actual trial records but applies modern psychiatric knowledge to the witchcraft hysteria. Starkey's sense of drama also vividly recreates the atmosphere of pity and terror that fostered the evil and suffering of this human tragedy.
From the Inside Flap
This historical narrative of the Salem witch trials takes its dialogue from actual trial records but applies modern psychiatric knowledge to the witchcraft hysteria. Starkey's sense of drama also vividly recreates the atmosphere of pity and terror that fostered the evil and suffering of this human tragedy.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Factual errors abound,
By ashlynn@paganism.com (Ashlynn's Grove) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry into the Salem Witch Trials (Paperback)
While this book, first published in 1949, is very readable, the serious student will be chagrined by it's factual errors.The writing style makes for a pleasant read, and Ms. Starkey does give the researcher clues where to find the real facts, but for the most part, read this book with a grain of salt. For instance, Ms. Starkey tells us that Lady Mary Phips was the widow of her own father... that the infamous George Burroughs was good at raising molasses kegs with 2 fingers... (the story is a MUSKET not molasses!) The errors continue into even more important realms. (Such as which Nehemiah Abbot was released by virtue of the 'afflicted' deciding they had 'the wrong man' - young Abbot's eloquent defense and calm demeanor should not be negated nor glossed over - or worse - attributed to another man!) On and on, one error after another. Frankly, as often as this book is used as a reference, I'm surprised someone else hasn't pointed out the poor research!
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A history of mass-hysteria - still possible today,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry into the Salem Witch Trials (Paperback)
I first read, "The Devil in Massachusetts" in the late1960s as part of a colonial history course. Having also an interest in psychology at that time, I was impressed with the story of the mass-hysteria and the book made a lasting impression on me.I re-read the book following a visit to Salem, Massachusetts this summer. I had noticed the same mass-hysteria involving false charges of child-sexual abuse along with the recovered memory movement during the 1980s an 1990s. Although Starkey necessarily presents her tale against a background of religion and religious delusions, the contempory mass-hysteria has no apparent connection to religion but the reactions of the public (society) shows a distrubing duplication of the process of hysterical contagion. Once a "cause", whether it be sexual abuse, gun control or other "hot-button" issue, is pushed into the limelight and kept there by fanatics of whatever stripe, abetted and given publicity by the media, the society (public) has almost a religious need to curtail critical thinking, accept accusation as proven fact, believe stories of impossible events and destroy their fellow citizens without compunction. And that is the horror that is demonstrated by Starkey's work; and the naivete of the old, standby reassurances, "It couldn't happen in this day and age", "It could never happen here".
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Informative and provocative,
This review is from: The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry into the Salem Witch Trials (Paperback)
Using her knowledge of psychology and psychoanalogy, Starkey gives us an interesting look at the 1692-93 Salem witch trials. Rather than using a boring textbook format, Marion turns the entire event into a story. A story that, while sometimes questionable, is undoubtedly entertaining."The Devil in Massachussets" is both a fair resource and a good novel. Put simply, it's worth buying.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
