Much has been written about the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692, and much misunderstood. "The more I studied the documents of what actually took place in the community," writes Chadwick Hansen, "the more I found myself in opposition to the traditional interpretations. It seemed to me that a serious consideration was in order." He argues, for instance, that witchcraft was actually practiced in seventeenth-century New England, as it was in Europe at the time. Moreover, the behavior of the afflicted persons was not fraudulent, as some have claimed, but pathological; these people were hysterics in the clinical rather than the popular sense of the term. Further still, the clergy did not inspire or take advantage of the witch hunts as has been charged; on the contrary, they were among the chief opponents of "mass hysteria." In "Witchcraft at Salem" Hansen provides a necessary and thoughtful reappraisal of this turbulent episode in American history.
--This text refers to the
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Editorial Reviews
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[Witchcraft at Salem] undermines the work of generations of American historians.... It is a thoughtful and important contribution. -- The New York Times Book Review
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Terrific Read,
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This review is from: Witchcraft at Salem (Paperback)
When one considers that carrying a rabbit's foot or cursing a neighbor would brand you a follower of the occult in 17th century New England, it isn't such a stretch to believe that Puritan leaders at Salem in 1692 might be correct in assuming that they were indeed over run with witches. Hansen's book is meticulously researched and his conclusions more than plausible. This might be the best book I have ever read on the subject.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Special topic,
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This review is from: Witchcraft at Salem (Paperback)
The Salem witch incident, along with other witchcraft events in early New England, have long been a special interest of mine. Having read widely on the subject, I know better than to expect a single author to have THE answer to how and why these appalling persecutions happened. Hansen is the latest author I've looked into, and because his book was published in the 1960's, I was pretty surprised to find that he provides another slant on things. What if some of the accused actually were practicing "witchcraft", at least the "white" variety? He then discusses evidence that strongly suggests that some of them were. Hansen also puts belief in witches in its proper historical context. Sort of like voodoo today, if you believed in witchcraft, it worked. Hansen's interpretation of what happened to John Hale, one of the judges, is also intriguing, as is his use of psychosomatic psychology.
Glad I read this.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a classic,
This review is from: Witchcraft at Salem (Paperback)
For years historians debated whether or not the Salem witch trials were the result of hysteria or just simple fraud. The idea that some of the accused could have been in fact guilty had never been seriously argued before. But, like a skilled prosecutor, Hansen laid out the case against several of the witches. Of course, he also realized that innocent people had been condemned as well and showed how that could have happened. If you are looking for a different perspective on the trials, be sure to read this book. Readers may also be interested in my book,Justice At Salem: Reexamining The Witch Trials which also offers an alternative theory about what happened in Salem in 1692.
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