The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-century Representations"From Macbeth to The Wizard of Oz, from the hysteria of witch trials to emblems of 20th-century female empowerment, no matter how she is portrayed, the witch is an enduring source of fear and fascination. In this study, Diane Purkiss investigates the diverse interpretations and meanings attributed to the figure of the witch, encompassing a wide range of cultural norms which include Canonical literature, such as Shelley and Yeats, visual arts, fairy tales, folklore and real-life witch stories. Also considered are pornography and sado-masochism, film, from the classic Swedish Haxan to The Witches of Eastwick, and the stage, including Shakespeare and Jonson."--GoogleBooks. |
Contents
the myth of the Burning Times | 7 |
modern witches | 30 |
a tale of prejudice and fear | 59 |
The house the body the child | 91 |
the body of the witch | 119 |
choosing to be a witch | 145 |
Other editions - View all
The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-Century Representations Diane Purkiss Limited preview - 2013 |
The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-Century Representations Diane Purkiss Limited preview - 2003 |
The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-century Representations Diane Purkiss Limited preview - 1996 |
Common terms and phrases
accused Agnes Anne Bodenham anxieties become belief bewitched Bodenham boundaries Caliban century charm child Cixous confession context counter-magic court culture cunning folk demonologists depositions desire devil discourse drama early modern Edmund elite Elizabeth England English Ewen fairies familiar fantasy fear female feminine figure folktales gender godly Goodcole hags Hansel and Gretel Hecate historians household idea identity interpretation involved Jacobean James Joan John kind Lancashire London Macbeth magic male Margaret masque Masque of Queens means Medea milk modern witchcraft modern witches mother myth narrative offers Oxford Pagan pamphlet patriarchal patriarchy play political popular Prospero queen radical feminist reading Reginald Scot religion Renaissance represents rhetoric ritual role Rosen Routledge scepticism Scot Scot's seventeenth-century sexual Shakespeare signify social spells St Osyth stage Starhawk story supernatural Sycorax texts theory Thomas torture trial truth Turner understand unwitch Ursula village Witch of Edmonton witch-beliefs witchmark women writes