Publisher Description

Salem Story engages the story of the Salem witch trials through an analysis of the surviving primary documentation and juxtaposes that against the way in which our culture has mythologized the events of 1692. Salem Story examines a variety of individual motives that converged to precipitate the witch hunt. The book also examines subsequent mythologies that emerged from the events of 1692. Of the many assumptions about the Salem Witch Trials, the most persistent one remains that they were precipitated by a circle of hysterical girls. Through an analysis of what actually happened, through reading the primary material, the emerging story shows a different picture, one where "hysteria" inappropriately describes the events and where accusing males as well as females participated in strategies of accusation and confession that followed a logical, rational pattern.

Author Biography

Bernard Rosenthal has written widely on American literature and culture. His monographs include City of Nature and Salem Story, and he has edited published volumes, including an updated edition of The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman, Jr. He is also the author of numerous articles and reviews. Rosenthal has received two grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, one shared with Benjamin Ray, and a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission in support of this book. Rosenthal was also a Fulbright lecturer in 1996--97 at Tampere University in Finland. Rosent

Table of Contents

1. Dark Eve; 2. The girls of Salem; 3. Boys and girls together; 4. June 10, 1692; 5. July 19, 1692; 6. August 19, 1692; 7. George Burroughs and the Mathers; 8. September 22, 1692; 9. Assessing an inextricable storm; 10. Salem story.

Review

'The author's reflections on Salem's continuing symbolic resonance, make Salem Story thoroughly rewarding'. Times Literary Supplement

Review Quote

"This is no light historical overview as are so many accounts, but a strong story of the trials which contrasts the primary documents themselves with the myths surrounding the Salem events....Rosenthal provides a refreshingly different approach." Reviewer's Bookwatch

Promotional "Headline"

This book provides an engaging re-examination of the Salem witch trials of 1692.

Description for Bookstore

Salem Story engages the story of the Salem witch trials by contrasting an analysis of the surviving primary documentation with the way events of 1692 have been mythologised by our culture. Rosenthal paints a picture of Salem where healthy accusers use rational strategies, and are not at all the hysterical creatures of popular myth.

Description for Library

Salem Story engages the story of the Salem witch trials by contrasting an analysis of the surviving primary documentation with the way events of 1692 have been mythologised by our culture. Rosenthal paints a picture of Salem where healthy accusers use rational strategies, and are not at all the hysterical creatures of popular myth.

Details