Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England

Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England by John Demos is a comprehensive study of the various influences surrounding witchcraft in the early American colonies. Diving the book into four sections: biography, psychology, sociology, and history, Demos uses “the four corners of one scholar’s compass” to provide a 360 degree perspective of early American witchcraft and culture (15). The primary focus of Demos’ research was on the social and psychological aspects of witchcraft; however, including sections on biography and history, the author delivers an inclusive representation of early New England society through the lens of witchcraft. I was especially intrigued by how exhaustive and extensive court documents were for those put on trial for witchcraft. In the preface, Demos states that he wanted to tell true stories about witchcraft putting individual men and women at the center-stage (xii).Part one examines the biographical nature of witches in seventeenth century New England. Using the examples of John Godfrey and Rachel Clinton, Demos organizes a considerable amount of historical records and court documents detailing the biographical characteristics of witches. Part two studies the psychology of those accused of witchcraft, those accusing others of being a witch, and examines the psychological structure of seventeenth century New England Puritan communities. The psychology of witchcraft is the strongest argument in the book. This was a new and thought-provoking analysis of the mass hysteria that flourished in New England over witches. A significant amount of research was done at the local level through archival documentation utilizing primary sources from court hearings and eyewitness accounts of those present during witchcraft accusations. Demos states very clearly that this information may not be complete, but provides enough primary and secondary evidence to substantiate his conclusions.Part three examines the sociology of witchcraft through the power of local gossip and Demos’ own interpretation of how the community viewed those charged of witchcraft. In part four, Demos traces witchcraft throughout history concluding that witchcraft was more prevalent than originally believed and not limited to just Salem, Massachusetts. Providing a few examples of witchcraft outside of Salem, Demos strengthens his argument showing that witchcraft accusations were not specific to Salem, but occurred elsewhere. The last section tightly concludes the biographical sketches with the psychological and social influences witchcraft had on communities facing the phenomenon of witchcraft.In Entertaining Satan, there is a substantial amount of psychological interpretation of what it was like living in colonial New England during the witchcraft hysteria. The objective of Entertaining Satan is to show that witchcraft was not as simple as accusing an individual of being a witch. The witchcraft phenomenon was a conglomeration of multiple issues converging together providing the perfect storm for mass hysteria. There are really no simple answers, yet Demos does a brilliant job of interconnecting each idea to achieve his thesis.

I love the subject matter-- witchcraft in 17th century New England. The really good feature of this book is that the author gives accounts of smaller, lesser-known cases of "witchcraft" and accusations of witchcraft and doesn't focus on the Salem Witch Trials. That said, the writing style is rather dry. In spite of my interest in the topic, I found myself skimming large portions of the book because the author would take two pages to say something that could have been said in two paragraphs. Still, I appreciate the treatment of this social history of New England, and if you are at all interested in the beliefs and lives of 17th century colonial New Englanders, you should have this in your library.

This is a very scholarly look at witchcraft in 17th century New England. It should be regarded as a text book. It is not suitable for light reading

a bit scary, but shipped well and timely.

The book was interesting and helpful in my research on witchcraft and Early New England. It was a sad, strange time.

Book was a bit boring at times. I read this for a History Book report at Austin Community College. It served its purpose and I got a 99 :) However... parts of it were boring, other facts interesting. Has plenty of information if your writing over the topic.

The book could have been worse or better. Highlight is topics are covered in depth but on the other hand topics can be drawn out . Downside is given attention to Freudian theories .

It's a classic. A lot has been written about witchcraft in early New England, but few works are as comprehensive and well-researched as Demos's Entertaining Satan.