Chaostheorie reviewed A delusion of Satan by Frances Hill
Review of 'A delusion of Satan' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
2.5 * - I keep wavering between 2-3 *, but ultimately selected 2, because the book was honestly a bit of a slog.
I bought this on a visit to Salem because I wanted an educational souvenir that would allow me to learn more in detail about the historical events, and it served that purpose. However, it is a rather dry account of the accusations and proceedings.
Furthermore, the author frames the historical actors in terms of Freudian psychoanalysis throughout the book. Now, I am no psychologist, but haven't Freud's principles largely be debunked?
That being said, I still find much of of Hill's analysis persuasive and useful, it's just that it's a relatively small part of the book, compared to the lengthy lists of who accused whom, who was subsequently arrested, then questioned in the presence of the writhing accusers, then sent to jail, later tried, sent to jail …
2.5 * - I keep wavering between 2-3 *, but ultimately selected 2, because the book was honestly a bit of a slog.
I bought this on a visit to Salem because I wanted an educational souvenir that would allow me to learn more in detail about the historical events, and it served that purpose. However, it is a rather dry account of the accusations and proceedings.
Furthermore, the author frames the historical actors in terms of Freudian psychoanalysis throughout the book. Now, I am no psychologist, but haven't Freud's principles largely be debunked?
That being said, I still find much of of Hill's analysis persuasive and useful, it's just that it's a relatively small part of the book, compared to the lengthy lists of who accused whom, who was subsequently arrested, then questioned in the presence of the writhing accusers, then sent to jail, later tried, sent to jail again... I think leaving more of this to the timeline at the end and focus more on the overarching process and analysis would have made for a much more readable book.
Summary: Serviceable, but not brilliant.