Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This book represents the first investigation of Scottish witchcraft post-1662, the period of supposed decline of such beliefs and coinciding with the dawn of the Scottish Enlightenment. It explores the changing attitudes and diversity of opinions towards witch belief, the interface between folk conceptions and the philosophies of the learned.
Synopsis
Introduction: Following the Witch
1. Fixing the Limits of Belief
2. The Idea of Witchcraft
3. Demons, Devilry and Domestic Magic: Hunting Witches in Scotland
4. Darkness Visible
5. Bemused, Bothered and Bewildered: Witchcraft Debated
6. 'Worshipping at the Altar of Ignorance': Some Late Scottish Witchcraft Cases Considered
7. The Survival of Witch Belief in South West Scotland: A Case Study
8. The Persistence of Witch Belief
Conclusion