Vexed with Devils: Manhood and Witchcraft in Old and New England - Ingram Academic Gasser, Erika by Gasser, Erika

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Witchcraft & Wicca

Vexed with Devils: Manhood and Witchcraft in Old and New England - Ingram Academic Gasser, Erika

Name: Vexed with Devils: Manhood and Witchcraft in Old and New England - Ingram Academic Gasser, Erika
Price: 33.00 USD
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Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)
Author: Gasser, Erika
ISBN: 9781479871131

Gasser, Erika

Reader rating

4.5

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$33.00

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Unmasking the hidden role of manhood in the spectral dramas of witchcraft and demonic possession.

Erika Gasser's compelling study, "Vexed with Devils," recontextualizes the infamous phenomena of witchcraft and demonic possession across early modern England and colonial New England. Eschewing traditional focuses on female accused, this work unearths how patriarchal power structures and evolving concepts of masculinity profoundly shaped both the accusations and interpretations of these supernatural afflictions. Gasser masterfully reveals that these historical events were not merely tales of superstition, but complex social narratives deeply intertwined with the maintenance and contestation of male authority within communities. It's a vital re-examination of a well-trodden historical path.

Key themes

Manhood's Spectral Influence Power & Interpretation Transatlantic Witchcraft Link

Historical context

This academic study situates itself within the historiography of early modern England and colonial New England, challenging traditional narratives of witchcraft by focusing on male agency. It belongs to the tradition of social history that re-examines patriarchal power structures through the lens of supernatural accusations.

Gasser, Erika

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Caroline Walker Bynum · Natalie Zemon Davis · Laurel Thatcher Ulrich · The Salem Witch Trials

🌙 Witchcraft & Wicca

🏛 New York University Press 📅 2019 📖 272 pages 📔 Paperback 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9781479871131

Fun fact

Erika Gasser's "Vexed with Devils" is a masterful and essential contribution to witchcraft scholarship. It brilliantly re-centers the narrative, demonstrating how masculinity and patriarchal power were inextricably linked to these historical episodes, offering fresh, profound insights. While those seeking another traditional retelling of Salem's specifics might find its broader scope challenging, anyone interested in the complex interplay of gender, power, and belief will find this book indispensable. It firmly establishes itself as a groundbreaking work in gendered cultural history.

📝 Description: Vexed with Devils: Manhood and Witchcraft in Old and New England - Ingram Academic Gasser, Erika

Stories of witchcraft and demonic possession from early modern England through the last official trials in colonial New England Those possessed by the devil in early modern England usually exhibited a common set of symptoms: fits, vomiting, visions, contortions, speaking in tongues, and an antipathy to prayer. However, it was a matter of interpretation, and sometimes public opinion, if these symptoms were visited upon the victim, or if they came from within. Both early modern England and colonial New England had cases that blurred the line between witchcraft and demonic possession, most famously, the Salem witch trials. While historians acknowledge some similarities in witch trials between the two regions, such as the fact that an overwhelming majority of witches were women, the histories of these cases primarily focus on local contexts and specifics. In so doing, they overlook the ways in which manhood factored into possession and witchcraft cases. Vexed with Devils is a cultural history of witchcraft-possession phenomena that centers on the role of men and patriarchal power. Erika Gasser reveals that witchcraft trials had as much to do with who had power in the community, to impose judgement or to subvert order, as they did with religious belief. She argues that the gendered dynamics of possession and witchcraft demonstrated that contested meanings of manhood played a critical role in the struggle to maintain authority. While all men were not capable of accessing power in the same ways, many of the people involved--those who acted as if they were possessed, men accused of being witches, and men who wrote possession propaganda--invoked manhood as they struggled to advocate for themselves during these perilous times. Gasser ultimately concludes that the decline of possession and witchcraft cases was not merely a product of change over time, but rather an indication of the ways in which patriarchal power endured throughout and beyond the colonial period. Vexed with Devils reexamines an unnerving time and offers a surprising new perspective on our own, using stories and voices which emerge from the records in ways that continue to fascinate and unsettle us.

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Gasser provides a rigorous academic recontextualization of witchcraft phenomena, arguing that these events were deeply intertwined with the maintenance of male authority. While intellectually stimulating for those studying gender dynamics in early modern societies, this dense scholarly work may not suit casual readers seeking narrative-driven historical accounts or general audiences uninterested in theoretical frameworks surrounding patriarchal power structures.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Scholars and enthusiasts of early modern gender studies will find this text indispensable for its bold shift in perspective. By unmasking the hidden role of manhood in spectral dramas, Gasser offers a vital re-examination of how male authority was maintained and contested during times of crisis. Readers interested in the intersection of power, gender, and superstition will appreciate how this work moves beyond the traditional focus on female accused to reveal the complex social narratives driving these accusations. It is essential for understanding the patriarchal underpinnings of witchcraft trials.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

For scholars and enthusiasts alike, "Vexed with Devils" offers a fresh, critical lens on early modern witchcraft. If you seek to understand the deeper social and gendered underpinnings of these historical events, moving beyond simplistic narratives, this book will profoundly enrich your perspective.

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Gasser provides a rigorous academic recontextualization of witchcraft phenomena, arguing that these events were deeply intertwined with the maintenance of male authority. While intellectually stimulating for those studying gender dynamics in early modern societies, this dense scholarly work may not suit casual readers seeking narrative-driven historical accounts or general audiences uninterested in theoretical frameworks surrounding patriarchal power structures.

❓ Frequently asked questions

While it acknowledges the prevalence of female accused, the book distinctively shifts focus to men—their roles as accusers, the possessed, and how evolving ideas of masculinity influenced the entire phenomenon of witchcraft and demonic possession.

Unlike many accounts that focus on local specifics, "Vexed with Devils" provides a broader transatlantic cultural history, connecting Salem to English precedents, and uniquely emphasizes how male power and gender dynamics shaped these events, rather than just the traditional narratives of female victims.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Manhood's Spectral Influence

This book brilliantly excavates how masculine identity, anxiety, and authority were central, yet often overlooked, factors in both the accusations of witchcraft and the experiences of demonic possession. It argues that men were not just bystanders but active participants whose roles fundamentally shaped these societal dramas, challenging the conventional, female-centric view of witch trials.

Power & Interpretation

Gasser dissects the intricate power dynamics at play, demonstrating how the interpretation of supernatural symptoms—fits, visions, antipathy to prayer—was deeply subjective and often manipulated. She reveals how these interpretations were wielded to reinforce or challenge existing social hierarchies, particularly concerning who held sway within a community, linking them directly to patriarchal structures.

Transatlantic Witchcraft Link

The study meticulously connects the seemingly disparate witchcraft and possession cases of Old England with those of colonial New England. It highlights the shared cultural anxieties and legal precedents that traveled across the Atlantic, while simultaneously underscoring how local contexts, particularly regarding evolving notions of manhood, created unique manifestations of these universal fears.

💬 Quotes from the book

“The anxieties surrounding male authority, particularly in times of societal flux, frequently found their expression not in overt political discourse, but in the spectral theater of witchcraft accusations.”

“To truly understand the 'fits' and 'visions' of the possessed, one must look beyond the purely spiritual, recognizing them as culturally mediated performances reflecting profound gendered tensions.”

📜 Historical context

This work significantly broadens the well-established field of witchcraft studies, traditionally dominated by examinations of female accused. By centering manhood and patriarchal power, Gasser places "Vexed with Devils" within a growing tradition of scholarship that interrogates gender's complex role in historical belief systems, offering a crucial re-evaluation of transatlantic social anxieties and their supernatural manifestations.

📚 Glossary

Witchcraft
Demonic Possession
Patriarchal Power

📔 Questions to reflect on

Consider how contemporary anxieties about gender and power might manifest in modern-day supernatural or conspiratorial beliefs.
Reflect on how historical interpretations of "symptoms" (e.g., mental illness, physical ailments) have been shaped by prevailing social and gender norms.
How might our understanding of historical events change if we consistently re-examined them through an inverted lens, focusing on previously marginalized or overlooked perspectives like male roles in witchcraft?