Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692 - Brossura

Rosenthal, Bernard

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0521558204 ISBN 13: 9780521558204

Casa editrice: Cambridge University Press, 2010

Riassunto

Salem Story engages the story of the Salem witch trials by contrasting an analysis of the surviving primary documentation with the way events of 1692 have been mythologised by our culture. Resisting the temptation to explain the Salem witch trials in the context of an inclusive theoretical framework, the book examines a variety of individual motives that converged to precipitate the witch-hunt. Of the many assumptions about the Salem witch trials, the most persistent is that they were instigated by a circle of hysterical girls. Through an analysis of what actually happened - by perusal of the primary materials with the 'close reading' approach of a literary critic - a different picture emerges, one where 'hysteria' inappropriately describes the logical, rational strategies of accusation and confession followed by the accusers, males and females alike.

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Recensione:

'The author's reflections on Salem's continuing symbolic resonance, make Salem Story thoroughly rewarding'. The Times Literary Supplement

Descrizione del libro:

Salem Story engages the story of the Salem witch trials by contrasting an analysis of the surviving primary documentation with the way events of 1692 have been mythologised by our culture. Rosenthal paints a picture of Salem where healthy accusers use rational strategies, and are not at all the hysterical creatures of popular myth.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Cambridge University Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0521558204
• ISBN 13: 9780521558204
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 302