Sunday, October 14, 2007

A Delusion of Satan- book review


Frances Hill's well-thought book is a compelling read. She proposes that we take that which we fear and despise most in ourselves, attribute it to others, and destroy them for it. She goes into great detail describing the ways in which the Puritanism of Salem Village predisposed its young girls to clinical hysteria. The stifling, paranoid, Puritanical lifestyle also made the adults more than ready to accept accusations of witchcraft and prosecute those accused of it as fully as possible.
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It is a case where blind faith and fear, for a time, triumphed tragically over reason. The best and worst in humankind is seen, and it is prudent to take warning from it.
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r connors

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