Fearless Wives and Frightened Shrews: The Construction of the Witch in Early Modern Germany

Add to Wishlist

Fearless Wives and Frightened Shrews: The Construction of the Witch in Early Modern Germany

Paperback(First Edition)

$32.95

Paperback(First Edition)
$32.95

SHIP THIS ITEM

In stock. Ships in 6-10 days.
PICK UP IN STORE

Your local store may have stock of this item.

Available within 2 business hours

Want it Today?
Check Store Availability

Related collections and offers

Overview

In fifteenth-century Germany, women were singled out as witches for the first time in history; this book explores why. Sigrid Brauner examines the connections among three central developments in early modern Germany: a shift in gender roles for women; the rise of a new urban ideal of femininity; and the witch hunts that swept across Europe from 1435 to 1750.

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558492974
Publisher:	University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date:	06/19/2001
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	(w) x (h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Until her accidental death in 1992, Sigrid Brauner was assistant professor of German literature at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her book was edited for publication by her friend Robert H. Brown, author of Nature's Hidden Terror: Violent Nature Imagery in Eighteenth-Century Germany.

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

"In medieval discourse on witchcraft, Brauner argues, men and women were assumed to become witches in roughly equal numbers. But starting with the notorious Malleus Maleficarum (1487), witchcraft was reinterpreted as a gender-specific crime: its authors contentiously argued that most witches were women and linked the crime of witchcraft to women's voracious sexual appetites. Protestant authors such as Martin Luther, Paul Rebhun, and Hans Sachs. . . dismissed such lurid claims about women's sexuality. But they continued to see witchcraft as a female crime. . . . Most notably in Rebhun's and Sach's work, the witch is associated with disobedience to husbands and inappropriate gender behavior. Thus Brauner's careful and intelligent readings of these authors suggest . . . that preserving gender hierarchy may indeed have been a priority for German authorities."—Signs

"Brauner's book speaks expertly and persuasively to a diverse audience . . . interested in modern literary, cultural, and gender studies. . . . [It] is a pleasure to read."—German Quarterly

"Raises interesting questions about the genesis of the modern social problems of race, gender, and class oppression, and locates their roots in the early modern period."—Choice

From the Publisher

In medieval discourse on witchcraft, Brauner argues, men and women were assumed to become witches in roughly equal numbers. But starting with the notorious Malleus Maleficarum (1487), witchcraft was reinterpreted as a gender-specific crime: its authors contentiously argued that most witches were women and linked the crime of witchcraft to women's voracious sexual appetites. Protestant authors such as Martin Luther, Paul Rebhun, and Hans Sachs... dismissed such lurid claims about women's sexuality. But they continued to see witchcraft as a female crime.... Most notably in Rebhun's and Sach's work, the witch is associated with disobedience to husbands and inappropriate gender behavior. Thus Brauner's careful and intelligent readings of these authors suggest... that preserving gender hierarchy may indeed have been a priority for German authorities.

Signs

Brauner's book speaks expertly and persuasively to a diverse audience... interested in modern literary, cultural, and gender studies.... [It] is a pleasure to read.

German Quarterly

Raises interesting questions about the genesis of the modern social problems of race, gender, and class oppression, and locates their roots in the early modern period.

Choice

Brauner (late, German literature, U. of Massachusetts) demonstrates that women were first singled out as witches in 15th-century Germany in the context of changing gender roles, the rise of a new urban ideal of femininity, and the witch hunts that were sweeping Europe. The essential qualities of witches that endure today were those of women who resisted the docility and subservience expected of the new urban housewife. Edited and published posthumously after Brauner's (1950-92) death. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Customer Reviews

	
		OSZAR »