Women come to the fore in witchcraft trials as accused persons or as
witnesses, and this book is a study of women’s voices in these
trials in eight countries around the North Sea: Spanish Netherlands,
Northern Germany, Denmark, Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden, and
Finland. From each country, three trials are chosen for close reading
of courtroom discourse and the narratological approach enables various
individuals to speak. Throughout the study, a choir of 24 voices of
accused women are heard which reveal valuable insight into the field
of mentalities and display both the individual experience of
witchcraft accusation and the development of the trial. Particular
attention is drawn to the accused women’s confessions, which are
interpreted as enforced narratives. The analyses of individual trials
are also contextualized nationally and internationally by a frame of
historical elements, and a systematic comparison between the countries
shows strong similarities regarding the impact of specific ideas about
witchcraft, use of pressure and torture, the turning point of the
trial, and the verdict and sentence. This volume is an essential
resource for all students and scholars interested in the history of
witchcraft, witchcraft trials, transnationality, cultural exchanges,
and gender in early modern Northern Europe.
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Northern Europe
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781000550566
Publisert
2022
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
Routledge
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter