Introduction 1. "The Wickedness of Woman": The Malleus Maleficarum, or "The Hammer of Witches" 2. "Something Wicked This Way Comes": The Witchhunts of Scotland, England and Salem 3. "Garmented in Light": Reimaginings of the Witch Through Nineteenth-Century Poetry 4. "An Ye Harm None": The Rise of Wicca in the Twentieth Century 5. "Normal is Not Necessarily a Virtue": TV and Movie Witches of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries 6. "The Power to Write Your Own Story": The Witch as Reclamation in the Twenty-First Century Conclusion
Biography
Jennie Woodard is Assistant Professor of History and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Maine, Augusta, USA.
"Grappling with the word witch is always an invitation into complexity and controversy. But Dr Woodard explores it with wisdom and sensitivity, showing to us, the fortunate reader, the witch not just as a symbol of persecution but as a catalyst for social change, healing and community building in the present day. By navigating the crossroads of gender, sexuality and power, this book invites readers to reconsider long-held narratives and confront the enduring legacies of misogyny, oppression and fear. Thoughtfully written and deeply impactful, this book is an essential and enjoyable read!"
Sarah Robinson, author of Kitchen Witch: Food, Folklore & Fairy Tale, The Witch and the Wildwood and Witch Country: Seeking the Witch in the British Landscape
