- Paperback: 271 pages
- Publisher: Second Story Press; Reprint edition (19 Aug 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 092900566X
- ISBN-13: 978-0929005669
- Product Dimensions: 22.1 x 14.7 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,838,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Bringing to life the story of Northern Europe's most infamous witch hunt, Lander untangles the skein of deceit and treachery, of political intrigue and human indifference which permitted the tragic deaths of seven innocent women.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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Leena Lander's book gives a poignant human face to the witches burnt in Jean Delumeau's eminent historical works about mankind's last millennium.
Her treatment of the grueling witch hunt is most original indeed. She `meets' the judge who was responsible for the beheading and the burning of seven innocent witches in the 17th century and tries to find out what the real roots were under the reasoning for these religious murders.
It is a story of xenophobia and misogyny (`woman has more aptitude for witchcraft than man because of her insatiable carnality').
It is a story of religious fanaticism, irrationalism and fundamental pessimism (`Nature is necessarily evil') and the mind-boggling theories of its theologians, like Thomas Aquinas (`demons have the ability to transfer male semen into a woman') or Martin Luther (`a legion of demons in the world taking advantage of human weaknesses').
It is a story of the ignorance of the masses and their concomitant fears.
But ultimately, it is a story of intransigent power, of merciless and cynical rulers (`the secret circle of the wise') for whom religion is one of the pillars of their power base and for whom anything can and must be done to consolidate and strengthen this base.
As one of the witches cries out, `You think up laws and sins in order to protect yourselves.'
For them, murdering of scapegoats is a must in times of severe famine and starvation, of possible social (`I don't understand how a ruler can demand the death sentence when people are not even given enough food to keep them from stealing to stay alive') and religious (`the world God has made didn't satisfy him') upheaval: `People want to see the fire, the flow of blood and hear the last words born of pain. After that, people believe.'
Therefore, the `secret circle of the wise' turns judges into Hanswursts.
The book shines darkly through the emotional power of its direct human confrontations (mother love is considered to be hysteria) and the insurmountable cynicism of the judicial network.
Although for Leena Lander `reality is more insane than a literary work', she wrote a formidable masterpiece about the insanity of the powerful.
Her treatment of the grueling witch hunt is most original indeed. She `meets' the judge who was responsible for the beheading and the burning of seven innocent witches in the 17th century and tries to find out what the real roots were under the reasoning for these religious murders.
It is a story of xenophobia and misogyny (`woman has more aptitude for witchcraft than man because of her insatiable carnality').
It is a story of religious fanaticism, irrationalism and fundamental pessimism (`Nature is necessarily evil') and the mind-boggling theories of its theologians, like Thomas Aquinas (`demons have the ability to transfer male semen into a woman') or Martin Luther (`a legion of demons in the world taking advantage of human weaknesses').
It is a story of the ignorance of the masses and their concomitant fears.
But ultimately, it is a story of intransigent power, of merciless and cynical rulers (`the secret circle of the wise') for whom religion is one of the pillars of their power base and for whom anything can and must be done to consolidate and strengthen this base.
As one of the witches cries out, `You think up laws and sins in order to protect yourselves.'
For them, murdering of scapegoats is a must in times of severe famine and starvation, of possible social (`I don't understand how a ruler can demand the death sentence when people are not even given enough food to keep them from stealing to stay alive') and religious (`the world God has made didn't satisfy him') upheaval: `People want to see the fire, the flow of blood and hear the last words born of pain. After that, people believe.'
Therefore, the `secret circle of the wise' turns judges into Hanswursts.
The book shines darkly through the emotional power of its direct human confrontations (mother love is considered to be hysteria) and the insurmountable cynicism of the judicial network.
Although for Leena Lander `reality is more insane than a literary work', she wrote a formidable masterpiece about the insanity of the powerful.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Leena Lander's Cast a Long Shadow is a freudian historical novel. The main character is jugde Psilander, who burns witches in 17th century Sweden. He knows that he is doing the wrong thing, but he goes along with the maniac law. The book is a strong allegory of the holocaust and other madnesses in the world. It explores man's guilt. The main theme is: You must always think with your own brains. Lander writes very lyrically. This book is a very strong reading experience.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
Mindless subversion of justice
12 Aug 2009
Leena Lander's book gives a poignant human face to the witches burnt in Jean Delumeau's eminent historical works about mankind's last millennium.
Her treatment of the grueling witch hunt is most original indeed. She `meets' the judge who was responsible for the beheading and the burning of seven innocent witches in the 17th century and tries to find out what the real roots were under the reasoning for these religious murders.
It is a story of xenophobia and misogyny (`woman has more aptitude for witchcraft than man because of her insatiable carnality').
It is a story of religious fanaticism, irrationalism and fundamental pessimism (`Nature is necessarily evil') and the mind-boggling theories of its theologians, like Thomas Aquinas (`demons have the ability to transfer male semen into a woman') or Martin Luther (`a legion of demons in the world taking advantage of human weaknesses').
It is a story of the ignorance of the masses and their concomitant fears.
But ultimately, it is a story of intransigent power, of merciless and cynical rulers (`the secret circle of the wise') for whom religion is one of the pillars of their power base and for whom anything can and must be done to consolidate and strengthen this base.
As one of the witches cries out, `You think up laws and sins in order to protect yourselves.'
For them, murdering of scapegoats is a must in times of severe famine and starvation, of possible social (`I don't understand how a ruler can demand the death sentence when people are not even given enough food to keep them from stealing to stay alive') and religious (`the world God has made didn't satisfy him') upheaval: `People want to see the fire, the flow of blood and hear the last words born of pain. After that, people believe.'
Therefore, the `secret circle of the wise' turns judges into Hanswursts.
The book shines darkly through the emotional power of its direct human confrontations (mother love is considered to be hysteria) and the insurmountable cynicism of the judicial network.
Although for Leena Lander `reality is more insane than a literary work', she wrote a formidable masterpiece about the insanity of the powerful.
Her treatment of the grueling witch hunt is most original indeed. She `meets' the judge who was responsible for the beheading and the burning of seven innocent witches in the 17th century and tries to find out what the real roots were under the reasoning for these religious murders.
It is a story of xenophobia and misogyny (`woman has more aptitude for witchcraft than man because of her insatiable carnality').
It is a story of religious fanaticism, irrationalism and fundamental pessimism (`Nature is necessarily evil') and the mind-boggling theories of its theologians, like Thomas Aquinas (`demons have the ability to transfer male semen into a woman') or Martin Luther (`a legion of demons in the world taking advantage of human weaknesses').
It is a story of the ignorance of the masses and their concomitant fears.
But ultimately, it is a story of intransigent power, of merciless and cynical rulers (`the secret circle of the wise') for whom religion is one of the pillars of their power base and for whom anything can and must be done to consolidate and strengthen this base.
As one of the witches cries out, `You think up laws and sins in order to protect yourselves.'
For them, murdering of scapegoats is a must in times of severe famine and starvation, of possible social (`I don't understand how a ruler can demand the death sentence when people are not even given enough food to keep them from stealing to stay alive') and religious (`the world God has made didn't satisfy him') upheaval: `People want to see the fire, the flow of blood and hear the last words born of pain. After that, people believe.'
Therefore, the `secret circle of the wise' turns judges into Hanswursts.
The book shines darkly through the emotional power of its direct human confrontations (mother love is considered to be hysteria) and the insurmountable cynicism of the judicial network.
Although for Leena Lander `reality is more insane than a literary work', she wrote a formidable masterpiece about the insanity of the powerful.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
It's great historical novel. Very strong love story.
12 Dec 1998
Leena Lander's Cast a Long Shadow is a freudian historical novel. The main character is jugde Psilander, who burns witches in 17th century Sweden. He knows that he is doing the wrong thing, but he goes along with the maniac law. The book is a strong allegory of the holocaust and other madnesses in the world. It explores man's guilt. The main theme is: You must always think with your own brains. Lander writes very lyrically. This book is a very strong reading experience.
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