Witches
by Erica Jong
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Description
The New York Times-bestselling author of Fear of Flying celebrates witches in this gorgeously illustrated brew of witchcraft lore, potions, secrets, and myth. With a mix of genuine fascination, passionate enthusiasm, and keen feminist insight, Erica Jong wades through a bog of myths, misinformation, historical hysteria, and contemporary Halloween costumes to offer a generous exploration and celebration of witches. From their origins as descendants of ancient goddesses to contemporary show more practitioners of the craft, the evolution of the concept of "witch" has been as changeable as the centuries themselves. From evil crone to sexual seductress, they are the embodiment of both light and dark, fertility and death, divinity and paganism, baleful curses and healing cures. They have been scapegoated as the object of men's worst fears and embraced as heroines of female empowerment. As muses, they have influenced popular culture from Shakespeare and Yeats to Anne Sexton and Ken Russell. With reverence and a hint of mischief, Jong reveals witches' rites, rituals, and magical recipes, including authentic spells and incantations. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Wish I could give more than 5 stars honestly, the historical description, art, & poetry throughout this book was beyond amazing.
My landlord texted everyone through all the properties she owns that a resident who rented 2 apartments has passed away and if anyone would want to go through his books and take them for free. He owned thousands of historical books, mythological books, folk lore, etc. This book was among a few that I grabbed to take home. I do not regret it at all. I feel honored to have the opportunity to have gotten this book for free. It took me 3 hours to read and I loved every second of it. I was so intrigued that I couldn't put it down.
My landlord texted everyone through all the properties she owns that a resident who rented 2 apartments has passed away and if anyone would want to go through his books and take them for free. He owned thousands of historical books, mythological books, folk lore, etc. This book was among a few that I grabbed to take home. I do not regret it at all. I feel honored to have the opportunity to have gotten this book for free. It took me 3 hours to read and I loved every second of it. I was so intrigued that I couldn't put it down.
This book is all about the illustrations!! Beautiful stuff!!
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Author Information
46+ Works 8,923 Members
Erica Jong was born on March 26, 1942. She received a B.A. from Barnard College and a M.A. in 18th Century English Literature from Columbia University. She also attended Columbia University's graduate writing program where she studied poetry. She has written numerous volumes of poetry, novels, and non-fiction works including Fruits and Vegetables, show more Fear of Flying, How to Save Your Own Life, Parachutes and Kisses, Sappho's Leap, Seducing the Demon: Writing for My Life, and It Was Eight Years Ago Today (But It Seems Like Eighty). She has received numerous awards including the United Nations Award for Excellence in Literature, Poetry magazine's Bess Hokin Prize, the Deauville Award for Literary Excellence, and the Sigmund Freud Award for Literature. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1981
- Epigraph
- It is rating our conjectures too highly to roast people alive for them. -- Montaigne.
Women have been burnt as witches simply because they were beautiful. -- Simone de Beauvoir - Dedication
- To my sisters, Claudia and Suzanna, and to the memory of Poochkin, best friend, familiar.
- First words
- Fair Warning
Don't open this book if you've never wished for a spell to make someone love you, if you've never wanted a magic wand, if you've never longed for a cloak of invisibility, if you've never wondered how witches ... (show all)fly.
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Statistics
- Members
- 404
- Popularity
- 76,599
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.93)
- Languages
- Danish, Dutch, English, French
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 4
