The author is one of the foremost writers on this time period and subject and while she takes a truly interesting look at the outside influences playing into the paranoia of Salem and environs, her over-reliance on written testimony of the time made the book hard to get thro. Unlike those earlier authors, who characterized the witchcraft crisis as the outgrowth of intra-community conflict, Mary Beth Norton observes that the crisis was a regional event occurring in the context of a disastrous frontier war and a breakdown in provincial political authority. An interesting approach to a meticulously researched historical account. However, she only lays out this premise clearly in the afterword, and before that writes tedious alternating chapters about the trials and the Indian Wars, without drawing the parallels. However, until now, much of the story had not yet been told. So many different names that's it's hard to remember who is who. I did. Normally, according to Norton, the middle-aged men in charge of Massachusetts didn't pay much attention to the actions and accusations of teenage girls. The Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 By Mary Beth Norton In the Devil’s Snare is a book about the Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 in which the towns people accused women and men of using witchcraft to cause unexplained happenings throughout the town. Liars and corruption cos. Not a bad book. Shelves: colonial-america, reviewed Norton's award-winning IN THE DEVIL'S SNARE offers the most important revision to date of Boyer and Nissenbaum's influential interpretation of the 1692 witch trials, SALEM POSSESSED (1972). This was, Norton usefully notes, a convenient way for Massachusetts's elite to displace blame for their own military failures, which included the destruction of several Maine settlements and failed 1690 attacks on Montreal and Quebec. I really wanted to rank this higher, and am almost ashamed that I can't. b) temptation is his oldest trick. Norton doesn't bring in actual theories of trauma or PTSD, and the evidence doesn't absolutely allow her to prove her assertion that the authorities on some level used the witch trials to distract from their own incompetence. This book was fascinating, as it presented a larger historical and cultural context for the witch crisis than most narratives do, with an emphasis on the connections between events in Salem and the French and Indian Wars. Fiction. The main revelation that Norton argues is that the Salem and Andover witch scares were the result of Indian-Settler violence on the frontiers, in particular the 2nd Indian War or "King Williams War". Lots of detail. Norton's conclusion should have been put at the start, for in it she explains her thesis clearly and concisely--that the witchcraft crisis of 1692 was in large part a reaction to King Philip's War and King William's War--and makes explicit the logic by which her argument works. As an avid reader of all things Salem (1692) I felt it was time to pick up a non-fiction text that has been referenced a great deal in the fiction that is out there. This is an excellent detailed account of the Salem witch trials. Many of the accusers in 1692, Norton observes, came from towns other than Salem – over forty of the accused “witches” were from Andover, for instance – and many of the early accusers and alleged witches, like Abigail Hobbs and George Burroughs, were emigrants or refugees from communities that French-allied Abenaki warriors had recently attacked. Highly recommended. Jan 24, 2018 Graham glover rated it really liked it. Great book by a great historian. And there is a lot of names. LibraryThing Review User Review - DarthDeverell - LibraryThing. 2.5 stars, Morgan Jerkins Journeys Across the USA to Retrace Black History. There taxpayers later complained bitterly that they had not asked for the soldiers and had derived little benefit from their presence, yet they had nevertheless been required to pay the soldiers’ expenses. Those who want to know every last detail of the Salem Trials will desire to read every word and will enjoy doing it, busy grad students can skate by with the Intro and conclusions in which Norton helpfully expounded her method and findings. Norton contends that this situation was different because the French and Indians were clearly winning the fight, burning villages and taking captives. It is also where our staff first look for news and features for the site. The author of Founding Mothers and Fathers (1996) evaluates a less edifying episode in early American history—the infamous 1692 witchcraft scare—and finds connections between the terrors of American’s Second Indian War and the colonial authorities’ endorsement of the trials. But as far as learning about the witch trials and the events around it this is a good book. As an avid reader of all things Salem (1692) I felt it was time to pick up a non-fiction text that has been referenced a great deal in the fiction that is out there. The reliance of prosecutors on the testimony of marginalized people, however, eventually undermined official confidence in the accusers and helped bring the trials to an end. 2 To catch prey alive, a trapper may use a snare of some sort. His goal is not necessarily to destroy them, as a big-game hunter kills prey. Fair warning: this is not an easy read. Review by Sarah Nesbeitt. Norton's award-winning IN THE DEVIL'S SNARE offers the most important revision to date of Boyer and Nissenbaum's influential interpretation of the 1692 witch trials, SALEM POSSESSED (1972). I found the juxtaposition of the witch accusations with trauma from war to be plausible. intro: the bible speaks of the snares set for us by satan. There has been a critical error on your website. Readers of In the Devil’s Snare who are familiar with the traditional story of Salem witchcraft will have recognized that something has been missing from my narrative: an account of the afflicted girls fortune-telling circle in the winter of 1691–1692. A detailed analysis of the events surrounding 1692, The focus upon the influence of the Indian Wars distracts Norton at times and other elements are glossed over, or missed, from the account provided here in order to allow a focus upon the psychological impact of the continual conflict. Mary Beth Norton, a feminist historian, took a look at all the "interpretations" of the Salem Witch Trials, and finally concluded they all got it wrong. In the Devil’s Snare (Mary Beth Norton) is a path-breaking re-examination of the 1692 Salem witch trials. Our online member directory allows visitors to view members’ profiles, their latest website/blog posts and links to their Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads accounts. Almost entirely quotes at some points. 3.5 Stars, but it gets an upgrade for being eminently skimable. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Mary Beth Norton, a feminist historian, took a look at all the “interpretations” of the Salem Witch Trials, and finally concluded they all got it wrong. Award-winning historian Mary Beth Norton reexamines the Salem witch trials in this startlingly original, meticulously researched, and utterly riveting study. Norton's award-winning IN THE DEVIL'S SNARE offers the most important revision to date of Boyer and Nissenbaum's influential interpretation of the 1692 witch trials, SALEM POSSESSED (1972). I personally believe the trials were a farce. From a justice stand point... there was none. —Read 2 Timothy 2:24-26. 1: temptation. While Norton does get into the nitty-gritty of the crisis, there are still so many unanswered questions about exactly why and. Yes, this is an academic book dense with information, so if you aren't expecting that, it will read as slow. She started by collecting every available source, including counting those persons who had been accused, but not actually tried for witchcraft and by doing so brought previously overlooked connections to light, and didn't discount the men who had also been accused and tried, which past femin. But as one of America's most often produced plays, it casts a spell over our cultural imagination that complicates the historian's task. c) also his most commonly used trick as well October 14th 2003 THE DEVIL'S SNARE by Michael Donovan ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 24, 2015 Donovan’s (Behind Closed Doors, 2013) second adventure of hard-boiled Eddie Flynn is a story steeped in the harsh realities of kidnapping, tabloid journalism, and good old-fashioned detective work. I REALLY enjoyed this book but oh my goodness it was so friggen dense. Misspellings and bad grammar and all! Rather, the Devil’s main goal is to capture his quarry alive and use the person as he sees fit. The people of Massachusetts saw that war as one between themselves and the forces of the devil. Norton thinks that too much attention has been paid over the years to debating the accusers in the trial (why did they do it, were they just purely faking it all, etc. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. I loved this book because I got to learn so much about a subject that I've always been really interested in. Still, I'd recommend this to anyone with an interest in pre-modern American history. 3.5 Stars, but it gets an upgrade for being eminently skimable. This is not the normal analysis you hear about the Salem Witch Trials, but it definitely should be high on the list. The beginning has a lot of quotes! It covers the trials very thoroughly. Fascinating work of history from Norton, who takes an event that is among the more well-known in early American history (well, at least parts of it), and infuses it with life and meaning through careful scholarship and an attentiveness to social and political context. 9.3. Mike Hammer without the violence Eddie Glynn reminds me of Mike Hammer the wisecracking private eye in the Mickey Spillane books I devoured as a teenager in the 1960's, but without the gun and the violence. Norton's main contribution, outside of her careful detailing of the accusations, trials, and executions, is the weaving in of the Indian Wars that occurred in the decades just prior to the witch crisis, as Norton is attempting to explain why a few initial accusations of witchcraft (not unusual at that time) blew up into a full-blown crisis. I also like what "funeral director" Tom has … One could only imagine such an environment; surrounded in fear from the inside and out. Person of Interest: "The Devil's Share" Review. New York: Vintage Books, 2003. Norton, Mary Beth. Magistrates and judges accepted this spectral evidence because they believed in an actual Devil, and saw nothing unusual in the Devil's choosing to afflict Christian New England with both a physical, Native American military assault and a concurrent spiritual assault by witches - “a combined assault from the visible and invisible worlds” (210). Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. In this work, Norton looks at a well trudged and puzzled over moment in early American History, the Salem Witch Trials, and approaches it anew. While Norton does get into the nitty-gritty of the crisis, there are still so many unanswered questions about exactly why and how this happened. I chose to read In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 for my book review. In most of the fiction I've come across, the interactions with the Native people has been reduced to wallpaper that just provides a little scene setting for the main events of the outcries, trials, convictions, and executions of many innocent people in Salem and surrounding towns. The connections weren't, I felt, fully brought together until the conclusion and I would've like a bit more interconnectivity throughout the narrative. I chose this book because I have always been fascinated with the Salem Witch Trials and I wanted to learn more information about the trials. It is well researched and presents a lot of primary source materials to the reader. "The Crucible," by Arthur Miller, is an illuminating piece of theater. Norton thinks that too much attention has been paid over the years to debating the accusers in the trial (why did they do it, were they just purely faking it all, etc. Her footnotes are generous and encompassing, and she helpfully indicates where her findings and primary source research conflict and correct previous interpretations. These uprisings, the resulting destruction and murders, caused the second generation of Salem Citizens to subconsciously question their project and these fears manifested in the form of a "Tawny Devil". Be the first to ask a question about In the Devil's Snare. But again, it's plausible. Its likely origin was in Central America, and it has been introduced in many world regions. About In the Devil’s Snare Award-winning historian Mary Beth Norton reexamines the Salem witch trials in this startlingly original, meticulously researched, and utterly riveting study. By … Our membership is worldwide, but we still like to meet up - and many members travel thousands of miles to do so. And the quick loss of support shows that many people saw the complete ridiculousness of these proceedings. In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 by Mary Beth Norton My rating: 3 of 5 stars Well this was a fun, albeit tedious, one to read. What can I say? Combine that with the prevailing Puritanical religious attitudes of the time–which considered the Indian Wars to be the work of the devil and the result of God’s unhappiness with the settlers–add a bit of political and economic turmoil, the age-old tendency of those in power to cover up their mistakes, and the effects of post-traumatic stress syndrome, and you have most of the ingredients in historian Mary Beth Norton’s new book, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of … I really liked this, but I would hesitate to recommend it to people who rarely read history, I think it might seem dense and hard to plow through. If you would like to contribute an article for the magazine and/or site, please contact us. Good idea, very poor execution. Both these things would have benefited me greatly if I'd had them up front. That being said, I now have a new view of the Trials that I hadn't been led to consider previously and I'm glad that this book exists to help bring about a fresh take on a much discussed and debated time period of American history. Norton's premise is that the witchcraft panic was actually about fear of Indian attacks, and that the Salem authorities were willing to entertain absurd accusations because, if the devil was at work locally, then it wasn't the authorities' fault that Indians were attacking. If you have an interest in the witch trials... you should learn a lot. Why did the men in Salem take THESE accusations so seriously? The troops, however, proved a mixed blessing to local residents and stimulated great controversy, especially in Black Point. Help! by Vintage, In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692. Well written, well researched, and worth a read. CAUGHT IN THE DEVIL'S SNARE ; review What I liked : I really liked this story. With Emmett Lee Stang, Jennifer Nicole Stang. So it was no surprise to discover that the devil was not only attacking them in the form of French and Indians, but also attacking them through witches in their midst. I'm a history nerd, love colonial history, and a total dork about community-wide paranoia and I still couldn't get past how dry this book got at times. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Devil's Snare: a Derek Cole Suspense Thriller (Derek Cole Suspense Thrillers) (Volume 4) at Amazon.com. Reviews. This book presented a fresh viewpoint on the Salem Witch Trials that I'd never seen put forth as possible cruxes to the extreme volitility of the accusations put forth during this infamous period. In this book, Mary Beth Norton examines the Salem witchcraft crisis (or, in her estimation, the “Essex County witchcraft crisis”) in new ways. But as far as learning about the witch trials and the events around it this is a good book. This is a thoroughly documented study that may prove to hold the most logical explanation of these bizarre events. 2:26) and to become more keenly aware of our enemy’s deceitful scheme—to destroy our Lord’s church. Even more galling, they explained, was the fact that the local commander, Joshua Scottow, who had moved to Maine from Boston a few years earlier, had used the men for his own personal gain, employing them to pave his yard, move his barn, and build a palisade for his property.”, Ambassador Book Award for American Studies (2003), Best of the Salem Witch Trials (fiction and nonfiction), In the Devil's Snare / Mary Bet Norton. by Matthews, Dani. Meh The story was mostly dialogue between the devil and Archangel Gabriel, setup for the rest of the story in the next book I presume. Lots and lots and lots of detail, which would have been easier to follow had the author used a more entertaining writing style. Norton's main contribution, outside of her careful detailing of the accusations, trials, and executions, is the weaving in of the Indian Wars that occurred in the decades just prior to the witch crisis, as Norton is attempting to e. Fascinating work of history from Norton, who takes an event that is among the more well-known in early American history (well, at least parts of it), and infuses it with life and meaning through careful scholarship and an attentiveness to social and political context. The Devil's Snare is another good installment of the Witches of Palmetto Point series. Over the next few months, the Massachusetts government dispatched to Maine companies of “country soldiers” to augment the inadequate regional militia forces. To see what your friends thought of this book, I really wanted to rank this higher, and am almost ashamed that I can't. Any questionable citizen was sacrificed. Fair warning: this is not entirely convincing his quarry alive and use the as! 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