| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Gibson book is quite good--readable, well researched, with a valuable bibliography--and will be at home in nearly every library." -- CHOICE
"Recommended. General readers." -- CHOICE
Product Description
A fascinating examination of how Americans think about and write about witches, from the 'real' witches tried and sometimes executed in early New England to modern re-imaginings of witches as pagan priestesses, comic-strip heroines and feminist icons.
The first half of the book is a thorough re-reading of the original documents describing witchcraft prosecutions from 1640-1700 and a re-thinking of these sources as far less coherent and trustworthy than most historians have considered them to be.
The second half of the book examines how these historical narratives have transformed into myths of witchcraft still current in American society, writing and visual culture. The discussion includes references to everything from Increase Mather and Edgar Allan Poe to Joss Whedon (the writer/director of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which includes a Wiccan character) and The Blair Witch Project.
The first half of the book is a thorough re-reading of the original documents describing witchcraft prosecutions from 1640-1700 and a re-thinking of these sources as far less coherent and trustworthy than most historians have considered them to be.
The second half of the book examines how these historical narratives have transformed into myths of witchcraft still current in American society, writing and visual culture. The discussion includes references to everything from Increase Mather and Edgar Allan Poe to Joss Whedon (the writer/director of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which includes a Wiccan character) and The Blair Witch Project.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
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 Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Good book poorly cataloged
4 May 2008
Format:Paperback
Much can be learned about trends in American politics, religion, social movements, and even science by examining how we have viewed witchcraft in this country. Dr. Gibson is a British literature professor and researcher. She took up the task of examining various aspects of witchcraft in America. Naturally, the events in Salem, MA are examined, but so are the different ways it has been portrayed and explained-whether as a statement about feminism, racism, science, or patriotism-and what it says about the culture at the time those theories were presented. She also examines the various ways witches are portrayed in popular culture: witches in TV shows like Bewitched or Charmed, Wiccans in the media from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to The Blair Witch Project, or "witch hunts" portrayed in the Crucible.
Though this book is hardly a page-turner, it is a valuable read for anyone interested in witchcraft history, the history of Wicca in America, or looking for one aspect of pop culture's mirroring of mores and social expectations. It is not a primer on the practice of witchcraft, nor does it promote or denigrate aspects of it. It is not intended to provide a definitive history on the topic of witchcraft, but to be a mirror on what history has said about it.
And just a side beef with this-it's put in the BF section based on Library of Congress classification, which is all wrong. That's where books on the occult go. This is not a book about the occult-you won't find spells or instructions on how to call corners or thoughts about spirituality at all. It is a book about how we as a nation have historically viewed contemporary and historical accounts of occult happenings. It belongs in the E section, in history.
Though this book is hardly a page-turner, it is a valuable read for anyone interested in witchcraft history, the history of Wicca in America, or looking for one aspect of pop culture's mirroring of mores and social expectations. It is not a primer on the practice of witchcraft, nor does it promote or denigrate aspects of it. It is not intended to provide a definitive history on the topic of witchcraft, but to be a mirror on what history has said about it.
And just a side beef with this-it's put in the BF section based on Library of Congress classification, which is all wrong. That's where books on the occult go. This is not a book about the occult-you won't find spells or instructions on how to call corners or thoughts about spirituality at all. It is a book about how we as a nation have historically viewed contemporary and historical accounts of occult happenings. It belongs in the E section, in history.
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Cultural History
- Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > Witchcraft
- Books > History > World History
- Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Earth Based Religions > Witchcraft & Wicca
- Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Occultism > Magic
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Earth-Based Religions > Wicca
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Earth-Based Religions > Witchcraft
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Occult > Witchcraft
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
