Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England

Entertaining Satan examines witchcraft accusations and trials in colonial New England through detailed case studies and historical analysis. The book reconstructs the social, psychological, and cultural contexts of witchcraft incidents across multiple communities from the 1640s through the early 1700s. Drawing from court records, diaries, and town documents, historian John Putnam Demos presents individual cases of accused witches and their accusers. The research reveals patterns in the demographics, family dynamics, and community tensions that surrounded witchcraft allegations in Puritan society. The text moves beyond the well-known Salem witch trials to explore lesser-known cases throughout New England, examining the role of gender, age, social status, and interpersonal relationships. Through this comprehensive study, Demos analyzes how witchcraft beliefs intersected with colonial anxieties about religion, social order, and the supernatural world. The book offers insights into how early American communities navigated conflicts between rationality and superstition, individual rights and communal authority. These tensions continue to resonate in modern discussions about mass hysteria, scapegoating, and social control.

Readers appreciate the detailed research and extensive use of primary sources to examine individual witchcraft cases. Many note the book provides context beyond just Salem, examining social, psychological, and economic factors across New England. Readers highlight the biographical approach, with one reviewer noting "Demos brings these historical figures to life through careful attention to court records and personal documents." Common criticisms include: - Dense academic writing style - Lengthy theoretical discussions that slow the narrative - Over-reliance on Freudian psychology in analysis - Too much focus on individual cases rather than broader patterns Rating averages: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (486 ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (31 ratings) Several academic reviewers note it serves better as a reference text than a cover-to-cover read. One student reviewer stated: "Invaluable for research, but can be tedious for casual reading." Most recommend it for serious scholars rather than general readers seeking an introduction to colonial witchcraft.

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The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol F. Karlsen This study examines New England witchcraft accusations through the lens of gender relations and women's roles in colonial society.

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🔮 Author John Putnam Demos is himself a descendant of the Putnam family that played a central role in the Salem witch trials 📚 The book won the prestigious Bancroft Prize in American History in 1983, one of the most coveted awards in the field of historical writing ⚖️ Through detailed case studies, Demos reveals that most accused witches in colonial New England were middle-aged or elderly women who were either widowed or had inherited property 🏛️ The research for this book took over 10 years and involved examining original court records, diaries, and medical documents from more than 100 witchcraft cases across New England 🎭 The title "Entertaining Satan" comes from a common Puritan belief that engaging in witchcraft meant literally hosting the devil as a guest or entertaining him through various rituals and ceremonies