Carol Karlsen 's The Devil

The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlsen Carol Karlsen was born in 1940. She is currently a professor in the history department a the University of Michigan. A graduate of Yale University (Ph.D, 1980), she has taught history and women’s study courses at Union College and Bard College. In this book Carol Karlsen reveals the social construction of witchcraft in 17th century New England, and brings forth the portrait of gender in the New England Society. The books thesis is based on

The Devil in the Shape of a Woman Book Review Carol F. Karlsen was born on December 15, 1940. The location of where she was born is unknown. Karlsen received her B.A. degree from the University of Maryland in 1970, her M.A. degree from New York University in 1972, and her Ph.D. degree from Yale University. She was a professor of history at the University of Michigan and a professor of history and women’s studies in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. She retired from teaching on May

Conversely, Carol Karlsen who was a Professor of History and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan had a different take on the trials. Karlsen wrote The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England in 1987, a book examining the role of women in the Salem Witch Trials. Karlsen was “concerned with the meaning of witchcraft for New England’s first settlers… and why most witches in early American society were women.” Karlsen obviously felt that there was a disparity of

decided to condemn the people around them as witches and why they did what they did to one another. Carol Karlsen in her book The Devil in the Shape of a Woman and Bernard Rosenthal in Salem Story give several factors, ranging from woman hunting to shear malice, that help explain why the Salem trials took place and why they reached the magnitude that they did. The theories put fourth by Karlsen of a society that accusations against women as witches explain the trail, and Rosenthals ideas of discourse

As Peter S Beagle says, “You ever want to see real witchcraft, you watch people protecting their comfort, their beliefs.” This quote is saying if you want to truly understand someone, learn about what they believe in. It all began in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The accusations toward people who were thought to be witches was on the rise. These would not be the kind of witches a person would think about in today 's world, but women and men who were put on trial for witchcraft hysteria, which in

American colonies alone there were over 100 witchcraft trials alone, were 40 percent of the accused were executed. Now two professors, Carol F. Karlsen of history and Kai T. Erikson of sociology, examine the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria to see if it was caused by a fear of women and give two entirely different interpretations. The first professor, Carol F. Karlsen, agreed that the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria was caused by a fear of women. She agrees that the belief in the Puritian culture, that

perfect wives and mother, while at the same time repressing their sexuality. It encouraged subordination and isolation in order to instill in these women a new value system. However, the Great Depression and decline in the feminist movement in the 1930's lead these institutions to their demise. Although they are gone, reformatories, and early governmental and societal actions can give us great insight and help prepare us to understand the developments in, as well as the recent state of, women in the

Puritans that comprised the colony of Salem, Massachusetts, were extremely religious, attributing biblical meaning to all aspects of their lives and being accustomed to personify the devil (Kocić, 2010). Specifically, church elders strongly believed that their congregation was superlatively righteous and for this reason the devil would try to target it with attacks in all forms, hence it was impressed upon the community to be vigilant against any signs of his presence. Such signs were subject to interpretation

Names Professor Subject Date Seventeenth Century America: A Bleak Portrayal of the Sociopolitical Scene Puritan Faith Puritan New England experienced one of the most peculiarly memorable historical events of all time. The Salem Witchcraft trials of 1692 remain prominently embodied in the long and colorful history of New England, stretching back into the pre-colonial period. In the grand scheme of things, the Salem trials were the results of a long struggle between the mainstream catholic faith and

was in dispute. Another land problem was caused by overcrowding in the New England communities. Salem was a seaport community that had been settled early and most of the land within its borders belonged to the first generation settlers. In the 1650?s, boundary disputes between Salem residents and those of surrounding towns increased. As a result of a shortage of land, most second and third generation Salem children lived as adults on subdivided land or moved on. The sons and daughters who stayed