Publication
Back Bay Books (2016), Edition: Reprint, 512 pages
Description
It began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister's daughter began to scream and convulse. It ended less than a year later, but not before 19 men and women had been hanged and an 80-year-old man crushed to death. The panic spread quickly, involving the most educated men and prominent politicians in the colony. Neighbors accused neighbors, parents and children each other. Aside from suffrage, the Salem Witch Trials represent the only moment when women played the central role in American history. In curious ways, the trials would shape the future republic.As psychologically thrilling as it is historically seminal, THE WITCHES is Stacy Schiff's account of this fantastical story-the first great American mystery unveiled fully for the first time by one of our most acclaimed historians.… (more)
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These are upsetting tales and Schiff writes movingly as well as wittily; this is a work of riveting storytelling as well as an authoritative history. Schiff’s explanations for the events are convincing. She identifies the symptoms of the supposedly bewitched with those neurologist Jean-Martin
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Charcot listed in his studies of hysteria (twitching, stammering and grimacing) and she suggests that in a repressed, puritanical society, people found this an easy outlet both for boredom and for an uneasy conscience. There were also questions of power at stake: land disputes; sexual and professional rivalries. “Vengeance is walking Salem,” cries Miller’s John Proctor; “the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member rosalita
A nonfiction account of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, made infamous by first The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (who was related to one of the notorious judges in the trials) and later Arthur Miller's play The Crucible. Schiff makes clear at the beginning that virtually no official
Still, it's not her scholarship that turned me off as much as her choices in how to present the material she had to work with. The first three-quarters or more of the book is written as if the accusations were true — she recounts women flying on broomsticks, Satanic baptisms, specters tormenting people while their physical bodies were miles away, and other wild accounts with a straight face and no attempt to explain or put them in context. By the time she finally gets around to examining how the three young girls who started the entire nightmare with their accusations might have come to be afflicted with hysteria, it was too late to redeem the book for me. In my opinion the account would have worked much better if she had interwoven the accusations and the scientific explanations of the phenomena more tightly.
As far as I can tell, Schiff did her homework and presents as much information as is available. She also is very clear not only about what we know, but what we don't know, which I appreciated. Not everyone will find her stylistic choices as off-putting as I did, so if you have an interest in the topic you might well find this book worth your while.
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contemporary accounts exist of the trials and the events surrounding them, then proceeds to spin more than 450 pages out of hearsay, speculation, partial diaries, and accounts written years after the fact.Still, it's not her scholarship that turned me off as much as her choices in how to present the material she had to work with. The first three-quarters or more of the book is written as if the accusations were true — she recounts women flying on broomsticks, Satanic baptisms, specters tormenting people while their physical bodies were miles away, and other wild accounts with a straight face and no attempt to explain or put them in context. By the time she finally gets around to examining how the three young girls who started the entire nightmare with their accusations might have come to be afflicted with hysteria, it was too late to redeem the book for me. In my opinion the account would have worked much better if she had interwoven the accusations and the scientific explanations of the phenomena more tightly.
As far as I can tell, Schiff did her homework and presents as much information as is available. She also is very clear not only about what we know, but what we don't know, which I appreciated. Not everyone will find her stylistic choices as off-putting as I did, so if you have an interest in the topic you might well find this book worth your while.
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LibraryThing member Sarah_Gruwell
I had to laugh at the timing in which I received this book. I had just finished a fictional work on witchcraft in the modern world and the history of the main family. So I was on a witch high when I got this book. Imagine my excitement to get such a large volume on the history of the Salem witch
The author definitely did her research. She goes in depth on many aspects of Puritan society and the history of the colonies, witch trials, and the superstitions of the Puritan brand of religion. At times, the author's research seems to veer away from the witch trials themselves, but everything ultimately gives background and depth to the trials themselves and the ladies involved.
Ultimately, I got what I wanted out of this volume. I learned the intimate details of the lives of the accused, their accusers, and their judges. I learned little known aspects of this well known historical event such as the different type of accusers and how closely families stuck together or how quickly they fell apart under the burden of suspicion and death. However, beyond the wealth of information and the joy of learning such, this book suffers from many flaws.
The author tends to get wordy, she'll use five words were one will do. I am not sure if she was aiming for readability, to make the work more relatable to the common reader rather than just scholars. If so, her plan backfired. The reader can get bogged down in so many words that the general point of the paragraph, page, or chapter gets lost.The author's tendency to wander also doesn't help with this.
The author tends to wander from subject to subject, on one societal aspect to another randomly. She'll go in depth about a particular person's witch trial; then three paragraphs later, she'll talk about the superstitions of Puritan society or the history of its ministers. There are some stretches to this work where you could have five or six subjects crammed onto one page, varying from paragraph to paragraph. Some consistences from chapter to chapter would've helped this book.
There are also narrative issues. Many of the trial scenes, and I stress the word SCENE, read as fictional rather than nonfiction. Now in and of itself, this aspect wouldn't be as glaring if the author used the same narrative style for the rest of the book. However, she does not. So the trial scenes are glaring in there scene setting rather than flowing with the rest of the work.
At the end of the day, I got what I wanted out of this work. I learned more about a seminal event in American history and intimate details of those involved. I only wish, however, that the author had paid as much attention to the nitty-gritty details of writing as she did to the historical facts presented. Formatting is screwy, words pile up on top of each other, and a wandering narrative drag this nonfictional work down. Would I seek this work out again? Maybe if I had a specific question on a party involved with the witch trials. I would not, however, seek to read this work again for pleasure.
Note: Book was received for free from the publisher via a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
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trials, the United States, biggest historical example of a witchcraft hunt. Unfortunately, this volume did not meet most expectations.The author definitely did her research. She goes in depth on many aspects of Puritan society and the history of the colonies, witch trials, and the superstitions of the Puritan brand of religion. At times, the author's research seems to veer away from the witch trials themselves, but everything ultimately gives background and depth to the trials themselves and the ladies involved.
Ultimately, I got what I wanted out of this volume. I learned the intimate details of the lives of the accused, their accusers, and their judges. I learned little known aspects of this well known historical event such as the different type of accusers and how closely families stuck together or how quickly they fell apart under the burden of suspicion and death. However, beyond the wealth of information and the joy of learning such, this book suffers from many flaws.
The author tends to get wordy, she'll use five words were one will do. I am not sure if she was aiming for readability, to make the work more relatable to the common reader rather than just scholars. If so, her plan backfired. The reader can get bogged down in so many words that the general point of the paragraph, page, or chapter gets lost.The author's tendency to wander also doesn't help with this.
The author tends to wander from subject to subject, on one societal aspect to another randomly. She'll go in depth about a particular person's witch trial; then three paragraphs later, she'll talk about the superstitions of Puritan society or the history of its ministers. There are some stretches to this work where you could have five or six subjects crammed onto one page, varying from paragraph to paragraph. Some consistences from chapter to chapter would've helped this book.
There are also narrative issues. Many of the trial scenes, and I stress the word SCENE, read as fictional rather than nonfiction. Now in and of itself, this aspect wouldn't be as glaring if the author used the same narrative style for the rest of the book. However, she does not. So the trial scenes are glaring in there scene setting rather than flowing with the rest of the work.
At the end of the day, I got what I wanted out of this work. I learned more about a seminal event in American history and intimate details of those involved. I only wish, however, that the author had paid as much attention to the nitty-gritty details of writing as she did to the historical facts presented. Formatting is screwy, words pile up on top of each other, and a wandering narrative drag this nonfictional work down. Would I seek this work out again? Maybe if I had a specific question on a party involved with the witch trials. I would not, however, seek to read this work again for pleasure.
Note: Book was received for free from the publisher via a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member GennaC
A story of superstition, of piety, of unanswerable questions, the Salem witch trials of 1692 have long enthralled us. It may be difficult to believe that anything original could be published regarding these events over three hundred years after they took place, however, Schiff easily refutes this
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in her comprehensive dissection of one of the darkest periods of American history. Concerning not just the infamous witch trials and subsequent hangings but also the basic tenets of Puritanism, the politics of colonial Massachusetts, and the hardships of life in rural New England, The Witches is a substantial historical narrative. Not recommended for the casual reader, a narrative of this magnitude is intimidating at times with its sheer volume of details and footnotes, but is well worth the investment. Chock full of captivating anecdotes, Schiff's text is as witty as it is informative, deconstructing with finesse the courtroom blunders, neighborhood grudges and betrayals, and supernatural and folkloric conspiracies that plagued the trials of 1692. Split into "acts", the narrative progresses from a systematic introduction of characters and background on the political and social climate early in the year, leading to a turning point in the trials in early summer when outside authority is brought in and the situation escalates, the jails filled to bursting with the accused. The final act is marked by a culmination of the witch trials as the summer progressed into fall and the fine line of Puritanism between religious entreaty through prayer and witchcraft grew even more convoluted and skeptics of the debacle became the easiest targets. The gravity lies not only in the deaths of the accused by hanging, but also those who perished in prison and families destroyed by the shame of witchcraft accusations. Schiff's asides and village tales can be lengthy and difficult to follow at times, meandering as they are, yet for readers seeking the complete picture they are essential and do not detract from the overall impact of the text. In closing, The Witches offers a succinct explanation of what the author believes truly ailed the bewitched girls of Salem and why a mere year of distant American history continues to haunt and fascinate. Show Less
LibraryThing member sockatume
Exhaustive to the point of exhausting, this is as detailed a work on Salem as I can imagine. It's meticulously built upon the historical record, quoting extensively, and conveys a strong sense of the geographic, social, political and personal factors that contributed to the Salem madness, without
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needing to editorialise or turn the facts towards a thesis. It's evocatively written, but also dense and far more concerned with accurately presenting events than delivering a gripping yarn. Worth sticking with. Show Less
LibraryThing member ameryan
Looking for a book of facts on the Salem witches? The Witches:Salem,1692 by Stacy Schiff will provide this,but unfortunately,not much else. I was so looking forward to this book that I purchased it on Amazon for my Kindle even before it came out –highly unusual for me. Alas,it falls short of
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expectations and is barely more than a listing of historical facts of the area and events that were engaged in the witchcraft hysteria of the time. Darn it –would have loved a good old fashioned witch story. Show Less
LibraryThing member wmnch2fam
An account of the Salem witchcraft incident of 1692. The huge list of characters can make following it a bit overwhelming. However I does also give a feel to the confusion which ranged throughout 1692 and tore at the very roots of the Puritan society. The author's wrap up in the final chapter of
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the book does an excellent job of placing the event within the context of our time as much as the rest of the book does to describe its effect on the world in which it happened. Show Less
LibraryThing member queencersei
The Witches is a thoroughly researched but ultimately overstuffed examination of the infamous 1692 Salem witch hunts. Over the centuries many have tried to explain why so many presumably pious young women and adolescents displayed such bizarre symptoms that led to fantastic accusations of
Unfortunately the book sinks under the weight of too much information. In too many places the book reads like a dull research paper. While not a terrible book, there are other, better ones on the Salem trials.
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witchcraft against their neighbors. The author presents various theories of the motivation of the girls, judges and villagers, but is careful to not try and explain what can ultimately never be answered. Unfortunately the book sinks under the weight of too much information. In too many places the book reads like a dull research paper. While not a terrible book, there are other, better ones on the Salem trials.
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LibraryThing member Gingersnap000
The Witches: Salem, 1692 is an intense Non-Fiction account of the Witches Trials of 1692 in the town where I live. The book is an extremely tedious read and if the readers does not have an extreme interest in this subject put it down. The author Stacy Schiff has researched the subject with all the
Living in Danvers, MA the former Olde Salem Village, one is attuned to the history of the area especially when the trials are involved. Rebecca Nurse's, one of the citizens hung as a witch, homestead is a popular tourist spot and the site of a PBS special. The three hundred anniversary of the trial, a memorial was placed on the spot near the Meetinghouse where Samuel Parris preached is rhetoric.
The book does explain how this stain on the history of Danvers happened. The Puritan religion and the Essex Country politics were the main reason.
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best historical documents available in Essex County Massachusetts and the University of Virginia's Witch Trial Papers.Living in Danvers, MA the former Olde Salem Village, one is attuned to the history of the area especially when the trials are involved. Rebecca Nurse's, one of the citizens hung as a witch, homestead is a popular tourist spot and the site of a PBS special. The three hundred anniversary of the trial, a memorial was placed on the spot near the Meetinghouse where Samuel Parris preached is rhetoric.
The book does explain how this stain on the history of Danvers happened. The Puritan religion and the Essex Country politics were the main reason.
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Stacy Schiff puts her excellent research skills and even better writing skills to good use as she strives to unravel the odd mess that was the witch hysteria in Salem and surrounding towns.
LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
In The Witches: Salem, 1692 biographer Stacy Schiff turns her attention to the infamous Salem Witch Trials. In describing witchcraft, Schiff writes, "Faith aside, witchcraft served an eminently useful purpose...It made sense of the unfortunate and the eerie, the sick child and the rancid butter
Her bibliography draws upon the major sources, from Hansen to Demos, Norton to Karlesn, as well as Boyer and Nissenbaum. Fortunately, Schiff does not draw upon the work of Linnda Caporael and her disproven ergotism hypothesis. While touches of each of the major historians' work may be found in Schiff's writing, especially the factionalism described by Boyer and Nissenbaum, Schiff reserves her own hypothesis for the end, though it closely resembles that of Hansen. Schiff writes, "What they [the afflicted] developed sound to have been a form of emotional laryngitis; a sense of suffocation tends to accompany hysteria" (p. 387). Adapting Hansen's hysteria hypothesis to modern psychological terms, Schiff blames the initial outbreak on conversion disorder, "the body literally translating emotions into symptoms" (p. 386). From there, Schiff argues, the girls effectively used their symptoms to gain attention they never would have received in Puritan New England. Schiff concludes her narrative with an examination of similar outbreaks of hysteria in the United States in the centuries following Salem, from anti-illuminists to McCarthyism to the Starr Report.
Schiff's work is its usual high quality and her efforts to synthesize a coherent narrative out of the conflicting (or missing) period records as well as the work of various historians pays off, though her return to Hansen's hysteria hypothesis seems a bit simplistic, while her use of Freud further demonstrates historians' blind spot regarding modern psychology. Her conclusion, in which she explores the continued appeal of Salem and the occurrence of similar events in American history, offers more insight than others have written on the subject. In all, Schiff contributes to the historical dialogue of Salem while making that history more accessible to non-historians.
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along with the killer cat" (p. 8). She reports the events as they happened, without adding caveats to the testimony of the afflicted. To draw a modern example of Cotton Mather's description of the business as "mangled in imagination yet may not be called imaginary," Schiff quotes Dumbledore's words to Harry Potter: "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" (p. 123). When necessary, Schiff provides background about the larger social events affecting New England, such as the recent overthrow of the Dominion, King Philip's War, and fears of religious pluralism.Her bibliography draws upon the major sources, from Hansen to Demos, Norton to Karlesn, as well as Boyer and Nissenbaum. Fortunately, Schiff does not draw upon the work of Linnda Caporael and her disproven ergotism hypothesis. While touches of each of the major historians' work may be found in Schiff's writing, especially the factionalism described by Boyer and Nissenbaum, Schiff reserves her own hypothesis for the end, though it closely resembles that of Hansen. Schiff writes, "What they [the afflicted] developed sound to have been a form of emotional laryngitis; a sense of suffocation tends to accompany hysteria" (p. 387). Adapting Hansen's hysteria hypothesis to modern psychological terms, Schiff blames the initial outbreak on conversion disorder, "the body literally translating emotions into symptoms" (p. 386). From there, Schiff argues, the girls effectively used their symptoms to gain attention they never would have received in Puritan New England. Schiff concludes her narrative with an examination of similar outbreaks of hysteria in the United States in the centuries following Salem, from anti-illuminists to McCarthyism to the Starr Report.
Schiff's work is its usual high quality and her efforts to synthesize a coherent narrative out of the conflicting (or missing) period records as well as the work of various historians pays off, though her return to Hansen's hysteria hypothesis seems a bit simplistic, while her use of Freud further demonstrates historians' blind spot regarding modern psychology. Her conclusion, in which she explores the continued appeal of Salem and the occurrence of similar events in American history, offers more insight than others have written on the subject. In all, Schiff contributes to the historical dialogue of Salem while making that history more accessible to non-historians.
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LibraryThing member bell7
While there's a lot out there about the Salem witch trials, so much of it has been layered over with myth and confusion. As the author herself points out, there's very little by way of first-person eyewitness accounts of 1692 in Salem, as if the whole town collectively decided to erase the history.
Schiff's account is detailed and evenhanded. By turns fascinating and tragic - especially stories my like own relative, Rebecca Nurse, who was an old woman and mostly deaf and so pious that most likely her excommunication was the most difficult part of the whole proceedings - most of the time the pages turn quickly, though there are a few times when the narrative gets bogged down by the very fact of how complicated piecing together what happened in chronological order can get and introducing all the main players. I had to look back at the list at the beginning more than once to remember who was who, accuser or accusee, and how one person was related to another. The bulk of the narrative simply takes you through the chronology of events, only at the end trying to make sense of what may have caused the girls to behave or accuse the way they did. I learned a lot and would love to learn more.
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This thoroughly researched account takes you through 1692 from January when the strange behavior of a couple of girls and accusations first began, through the summer of trials and hangings, and the fall when the tide began to turn once again.Schiff's account is detailed and evenhanded. By turns fascinating and tragic - especially stories my like own relative, Rebecca Nurse, who was an old woman and mostly deaf and so pious that most likely her excommunication was the most difficult part of the whole proceedings - most of the time the pages turn quickly, though there are a few times when the narrative gets bogged down by the very fact of how complicated piecing together what happened in chronological order can get and introducing all the main players. I had to look back at the list at the beginning more than once to remember who was who, accuser or accusee, and how one person was related to another. The bulk of the narrative simply takes you through the chronology of events, only at the end trying to make sense of what may have caused the girls to behave or accuse the way they did. I learned a lot and would love to learn more.
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LibraryThing member Beammey
I had high expectations for this book since I had heard so much about it, like, really high, and thankfully it didn't disappoint, much. The only thing I didn't like was at times was how very long the book was. I felt like some of it was unnecessary. I still found it enlightening and entertaining
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though and I probably would read it again, so for that reason I would recommend it. 4.5 out of 5 stars. good book overall. Show Less
LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
Yes, this is a long book. Yes, there are lots of people to track. Yes, it does skip from one person to another, back again, back and forth with several characters. Nevertheless, I found this book fascinating.
That hysteria can take over a whole town is not unusual. That wasn't the first time it
Much of the documentation of that time has been destroyed or was not truthfully recorded. Despite that, Schiff has put together the information into a comprehensive telling of the story that kept me interested throughout.
I listened to an unabridged audio version. There is an accompanying e-book that I was not able to download, so I didn't have the cast of characters that is apparently at the beginning of the print book. That meant I had to listen carefully to keep the characters straight. A reading challenge, but not onerous.
The narrator was occasionally snarky in her reading, not unwarranted. I minor kibble is that at the end of the book, the added music was too loud and overwhelmed the words still being read. I can do without the music added to too many audio books. For me, it really does nothing to enhance the story, and instead is distracting.
That hysteria can take over a whole town is not unusual. That wasn't the first time it
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happened and will not, sadly, be the last. This is a cautionary tale for those who choose to see it. Although believing in witches and demons and dogs as familiars is a far stretch to most of us today, it does not negate gullibility, the power of boredom and collusion, and especially the power of fear.Much of the documentation of that time has been destroyed or was not truthfully recorded. Despite that, Schiff has put together the information into a comprehensive telling of the story that kept me interested throughout.
I listened to an unabridged audio version. There is an accompanying e-book that I was not able to download, so I didn't have the cast of characters that is apparently at the beginning of the print book. That meant I had to listen carefully to keep the characters straight. A reading challenge, but not onerous.
The narrator was occasionally snarky in her reading, not unwarranted. I minor kibble is that at the end of the book, the added music was too loud and overwhelmed the words still being read. I can do without the music added to too many audio books. For me, it really does nothing to enhance the story, and instead is distracting.
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LibraryThing member St.CroixSue
This is a serious in-depth account of the Salem witches and their trials. Besides being psychologically thrilling and terrifying, Schiff puts the events into a historical perspective and also explains how this episode in history shaped the future republic.
LibraryThing member marysneedle
I have always been interested in the Salem witch trials. This gives a look into the events that seem to point to multiple causes for the event. She gives a look into the life styles of the puritans and historical and religious climate at the time indicating that all of these things contributed to
Her analogies comparing things to certain pop culture items like Harry Potter and the Wizard of Oz are made, I believe, to lighten heavy historical facts.
With that said I think it was an interesting read and worth it.
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the trials.Her analogies comparing things to certain pop culture items like Harry Potter and the Wizard of Oz are made, I believe, to lighten heavy historical facts.
With that said I think it was an interesting read and worth it.
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LibraryThing member muddyboy
A fact drenched history about the much written about event, the Salem witchcraft trials. What makes book unique is the unbelievable mass of primary source material unearthed. One thing that struck me was how the best way to save your life was to simply admit that you were a witch. (You end up in
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jail) But, the way to get yourself hung was to plead your innocence once the accusers and judges had you in their sights. As I have read several other studies, a lot of this boiled down to hysterical girls, family feuds and domestic disputes. For the true historical junkie. Show Less
LibraryThing member Othemts
Stacy Schiff attempts to set the record straight on the witch hysteria of 1692, something that has been defined for modern people by how it is depicted in movies, plays, and books. This is partially due to the efforts of those who lived through the crisis to erase the witch madness from the
Schiff does a great job of establishing the context of the witch trials, with the understanding of witchcraft and previous crises including a dramatically large one in Sweden in 1675. Other events of the time that had an effect on the New Englander's psyche was the recent King Phillip's War (and continuing scuffles with natives and French settlers on the frontiers) and the revolt against New England royal governor Edmund Andros in 1689. The adoption of a new charter for the province and the arrival of a new governor for Massachusetts are events happening concurrently with the witch trials. Closer to home, Schiff examines the relationships of the residents of Salem Village. It's pretty clear that if you lived in Salem Village in 1692, you had some *ssh*l* neighbors, and the resentments informed the underlying tensions related to the witchcraft accusations. In the final chapters, Schiff also examines some theories behind why the witchcraft hysteria occurred, especially the psychology of the "afflicted" girls who's accusations were the tipping point. It's an interesting and accessible history of a horrendous atrocity and miscarriage of justice in American history.
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collective memory (for example, noted diarists of the period have blank spaces for the 9 months of the trials). Schiff relies on the official court transcripts for much of her narrative providing a relentless account of accusations, denials, questionable judicial practices, confessions, and further accusations. The repetition of the process would be tedious if it weren't so terrifying. The psychological effects of the hysteria are laid clear in written accounts of the accused who actually came to believe that they may in fact be witches. Over the course of time the crisis spirals out of Salem Village to Andover and Boston and threatens to undermine the economy and government of New England.Schiff does a great job of establishing the context of the witch trials, with the understanding of witchcraft and previous crises including a dramatically large one in Sweden in 1675. Other events of the time that had an effect on the New Englander's psyche was the recent King Phillip's War (and continuing scuffles with natives and French settlers on the frontiers) and the revolt against New England royal governor Edmund Andros in 1689. The adoption of a new charter for the province and the arrival of a new governor for Massachusetts are events happening concurrently with the witch trials. Closer to home, Schiff examines the relationships of the residents of Salem Village. It's pretty clear that if you lived in Salem Village in 1692, you had some *ssh*l* neighbors, and the resentments informed the underlying tensions related to the witchcraft accusations. In the final chapters, Schiff also examines some theories behind why the witchcraft hysteria occurred, especially the psychology of the "afflicted" girls who's accusations were the tipping point. It's an interesting and accessible history of a horrendous atrocity and miscarriage of justice in American history.
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LibraryThing member noblechicken
(Audio Version)
A decent enough look into the events that happened in Salem, MA. You really get a feel for how strange the Puritanical culture was living on the edge of the wilderness of America. It really feels like a strange conflict-ion of the last moments of the Dark Ages with the beginnings of
A note on the audio: the reader was atrocious, particularly in the beginning. While I know Schiff's writing has a degree of sarcasm in the tone (which itself is annoying), the narrator added her own degree of irritation that took several discs to get used to (or she toned it down). Thumbs down on that.
A decent enough look into the events that happened in Salem, MA. You really get a feel for how strange the Puritanical culture was living on the edge of the wilderness of America. It really feels like a strange conflict-ion of the last moments of the Dark Ages with the beginnings of
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enlightenment, and Schiff portrays that realization well. The logic of Witch Cake or the "touch test" is a contradiction, strangely fascinating to be seen as "scientific" with modern eyes. A strange and extremely frightening time to be accused of such a thing. So much feuding, gossip, bickering and back stabbing along with the nonchalance the accusers seemed to behave, and the terror the accused must have felt. In the end, nothing new here is shown nor explained, Schiff offers up the "hysteria" line, along with the suggestion of taking several families that live in a small area in New America for long enough, they will get on each others nerves and muck it up. There are better books out there, and the run-on narrative does not do the subject matter justice, but this is still a well documented piece, along with great illustrations and photos. A note on the audio: the reader was atrocious, particularly in the beginning. While I know Schiff's writing has a degree of sarcasm in the tone (which itself is annoying), the narrator added her own degree of irritation that took several discs to get used to (or she toned it down). Thumbs down on that.
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LibraryThing member Arkrayder
This book was checked out from our local library and brought home to me by my wife. I glad she had the foresight to do so.
The Witches Salem, 1692, is a retelling of a uniquely American blend of religion and paranoia, “a little story that becomes a big one, much more than our national campfire
The trials began when a number of Salem Village girls claimed to be tormented by the devil and accused local men and women of being wizards and witches. The people of Salem Village lived in isolation threatened by attacks from native American tribes, they had had their charter revoked and were in economic conflict with nearby Salem Town. There was an deeply inbred fear of strangers coupled with a resentment within the village habitants, towards each other.
By summer the Salem jail had filled with witches of both genders and all ages, from a toddler to a grandmother. The hysteria radiated outward, snaring other communities, such as Andover and Ipswich.
What I found distressing about the account of the witch trials was that highly educated (for their time) men were so readily willing to accept highly contradicting and fanciful "tales" of adolescent girls. But as has been seen in modern times such "witch trials" can occur regardless of how "advanced" we think we have become.
I really enjoyed this book. It's full of information, maybe a little to much for some, but I love having as many facts as I can about something I find incredibly interesting.
As Schiff moves into the trials and convictions, her narrative does slow down, and its language tightens beneath an excess of detail , but Schiff regains her stride in the book’s conclusion, where she analyzes the trials’ aftermath, and gives a ”what became of them" account of some of the principal people involved in the trials.
In any case this is a great read and I recommend it to anyone interested in the Salem 1692 events.
The Witches Salem, 1692, is a retelling of a uniquely American blend of religion and paranoia, “a little story that becomes a big one, much more than our national campfire
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story, the gothic, genie-releasing crack-up on the way to the Constitution.” The trials began when a number of Salem Village girls claimed to be tormented by the devil and accused local men and women of being wizards and witches. The people of Salem Village lived in isolation threatened by attacks from native American tribes, they had had their charter revoked and were in economic conflict with nearby Salem Town. There was an deeply inbred fear of strangers coupled with a resentment within the village habitants, towards each other.
By summer the Salem jail had filled with witches of both genders and all ages, from a toddler to a grandmother. The hysteria radiated outward, snaring other communities, such as Andover and Ipswich.
What I found distressing about the account of the witch trials was that highly educated (for their time) men were so readily willing to accept highly contradicting and fanciful "tales" of adolescent girls. But as has been seen in modern times such "witch trials" can occur regardless of how "advanced" we think we have become.
I really enjoyed this book. It's full of information, maybe a little to much for some, but I love having as many facts as I can about something I find incredibly interesting.
As Schiff moves into the trials and convictions, her narrative does slow down, and its language tightens beneath an excess of detail , but Schiff regains her stride in the book’s conclusion, where she analyzes the trials’ aftermath, and gives a ”what became of them" account of some of the principal people involved in the trials.
In any case this is a great read and I recommend it to anyone interested in the Salem 1692 events.
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LibraryThing member marshapetry
Really enjoyed this book. The author does belabor a few points to the point where I found myself saying "you already said that several times!" but it was a very interesting book about a sad period in history. Learned a little about life back then too, which is always fun. Highly recommend this book
LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
Highly detailed history and social/political/religious analysis of the 1692 epidemic of witchcraft accusations which led to the court-ordered execution of 20 adults. The author presents a grim scenario of what life was like for New England Puritans and of the damage that the trials and executions
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did to not only Salem village and its neighbors but to all of colonial Massachusetts. Show Less
LibraryThing member AliceaP
Sometimes I forget how I heard about certain books and why they made it onto my TRL (To Read List) but a lot of the time I just see a blurb about a book somewhere and it peaks my interest. That's what happened with The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff. As the title suggests, it's about the
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witch trials that occurred in Salem during the year of 1692. I've actually visited Salem and read up a bit on the subject but Schiff covered the start of the accusations through to the far-reaching consequences of the trials into present day. She touched on the justice system, political climate of the Americas (Massachusetts specifically), and the cultural/religious climate of the area. The belief in witches was nothing new or novel to the people of Salem. At this point, there had been other cases of witchcraft that resulted in trials, convictions, and deaths in others parts of the world. However, the volume of accused which ballooned in the year 1692 and the paranoia that gripped the people of Salem was so extreme that we're still talking about it today. What I found most intriguing about the book was the aspect of gender roles and how that most likely played a leading role in the affair. Preteen girls and women were the primary accusers (and women the accused). This group had no voice in society and yet they were able to completely blind the rest of the community into believing that they saw visions, wrestled with specters, and signed pacts with the devil. They pointed fingers at innocent people and everyone stopped and listened to them. Why was this? Why did their opinions suddenly matter? Why were much of the women accused on the fringes of society? There are a lot of questions which we may never have the answer to because documentation is sparse (much was lost or intentionally altered). We can only theorize and rationalize to the best of our ability. The occult and the manifestation of it on people is so fascinating to me. I really enjoyed this book (the bibliography is AWESOME). If you're as curious about this topic as I am and you want to look at it from a variety of angles then I recommend you give The Witches: Salem, 1692 a shot. Show Less
LibraryThing member cbloky
the book was ok, if you into reading about the witch trails then the book is a most. for me the book at times was hard to follow like the author was jumping around to much
LibraryThing member Kaethe
Yes, I spent Christmas immersed in the claustrophobic world of the Salem witch trials. As one does. And now I want to have marvelous powers and live in New England and cast small, stupid spells on my neighbors.
Library copy
Library copy
LibraryThing member renardkitsune
I received the audio edition of this book for my birthday and listened to it in the car on my way back and forth to work. I am generally acquainted with the Salem Witch trials, though I have only ever read fictional accounts, so this was my first dive into non-fiction about it. And I learned a lot.
The main negative I had was that it seemed meandering at times, like it needed a little more focus. But that could be due to me listening to it in 15-minute increments. It could more focused on the page. Overall, a very interesting read. I also liked that when the narrator, Eliza Foss, was reading direct quotes, she would alter her voice a little for us to keep track of each person speaking.
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There are so many different lenses to view the situation through. And Schiff tries to explain many of them. I was interested to learn that the Salem village were more quarrelsome than their neighboring villages. I also enjoyed how Schiff really tried to put us into the shoes of the early New Englanders. They sat at the edge of an unexplored wilderness, with “civilization” across the ocean, beset by both Indians and the French. Along with that they were beset with political troubles and ministers who were continuously calculating when the world was going to end. And these are all things that I haven’t ever really thought about in the context of the Salem Witch trials. The main negative I had was that it seemed meandering at times, like it needed a little more focus. But that could be due to me listening to it in 15-minute increments. It could more focused on the page. Overall, a very interesting read. I also liked that when the narrator, Eliza Foss, was reading direct quotes, she would alter her voice a little for us to keep track of each person speaking.
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ISBN
031620059X / 9780316200592