A Delusion Of SatanDuring the bleak winter of 1691 in the rigid Puritan community of Salem Village, Massachusetts, a group of young girls began experiencing violent fits, allegedly tormented by Satan and the witches who worshipped him. From the girls' initial denouncing of a black slave, their accusations soon multiplied; in less than two years nineteen men and women were hanged, one was pressed to death, and over a hundred others were imprisoned and impoverished.This evenhanded and insightful history illuminates this horrifying episode with visceral clarity, from the opportunistic Putnam clan, who fanned the crisis to satisfy personal vendettas and greed, to four-year-old "witch" Dorcas Good, chained to a dank prison wall in darkness till she went mad. By placing the distant period of the Salem witch trials in the larger context of more contemporary eruptions of mass hysteria and intolerance, the author has created a work as thought-provoking as it is emotionally powerful. |
Contents
SOWING THE DRAGONS TEETH | 1 |
A WITCH CAKE | 15 |
THE HAND OF SATAN | 24 |
Copyright | |
17 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials Frances Hill No preview available - 1997 |
Common terms and phrases
Abigail accused witches afflicted girls Ann Putnam appear arrest asked believe Bishop Boston Boyer and Nissenbaum brought Burr Burroughs Calef called cause CHAPTER church claimed confession continued Cory Cotton court daughter death described devil died doubt Elizabeth England English evidence evil examination fear fits four George George Burroughs give given guilty Hale hand hanged Hathorne husband Indian innocent jail John judges knew later Lawson less letter lived magistrates March Martha Mary Mary Warren Massachusetts Mather means meeting meetinghouse minister Narratives never Osborne Parris Parris's Perhaps persons prison Proctor Puritan question reason Rebecca records Salem Village Salem Witchcraft Samuel Sarah Satan seems seen showed soon suffered suggests taken tell things Thomas tion Tituba told Town trial turned Walcott wife witch-hunt woman women Wonders write young