The Appearance of Witchcraft: Print and Visual Culture in Sixteenth-Century Europe

Author:   Charles Zika (University of Melbourne, Australia)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN:  

9780415563550


Pages:   320
Publication Date:   28 September 2009
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Our Price $64.00 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

The Appearance of Witchcraft: Print and Visual Culture in Sixteenth-Century Europe


Add your own review!

Overview

Shortlisted for the 2008 Katharine Briggs Award. For centuries the witch has been a powerful figure in the European imagination; but the creation of this figure has been hidden from our view. Charles Zika’s groundbreaking study investigates how the visual image of the witch was created in late fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Europe. He charts the development of the witch as a new visual subject, showing how the traditional imagery of magic and sorcery of medieval Europe was transformed into the sensationalist depictions of witches in the pamphlets and prints of the sixteenth century. This book shows how artists and printers across the period developed key visual codes for witchcraft, such as the cauldron and the riding of animals. It demonstrates how influential these were in creating a new iconography for representing witchcraft, incorporating themes such as the power of female sexuality, male fantasy, moral reform, divine providence and punishment, the superstitions of non-Christian peoples and the cannibalism of the New World. Lavishly illustrated and encompassing in its approach, The Appearance of Witchcraft is the first systematic study of the visual representation of witchcraft in the later fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It will give the reader a unique insight into how the image of the witch evolved in the early modern world.

Full Product Details

Author:   Charles Zika (University of Melbourne, Australia)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Dimensions:   Width: 17.40cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 24.60cm
Weight:   0.590kg
ISBN:  

9780415563550


ISBN 10:   0415563550
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   28 September 2009
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Introduction Chapter 1. Fashioning a New Visual Language for Witchcraft Chapter 2. The Transformation of Sorcery and Magic in the Fifteenth Century Chapter 3. Witches’ Cauldrons and Women’s Bodies Chapter 4. Wild Riders, Popular Folklore and Moral Disorder Chapter 5. Transformation, Death and Sexuality in the Classical World Chapter 6. A Biblical Necromancer and Two Christian Saints Chapter 7. Reporting the News and Reading the Signs Chapter 8. On the Margins of Christian Europe

Reviews

'This long awaited book is the definitive history of the image of the witch in fifteenth and sixteenth century Europe. Zika's scholarship is extraordinary -- he takes us through popular perceptions, iconography and intellectual history as he unravels the meanings of these compelling images. A masterly study, it will interest all historians of sexuality, art, and culture.' Lyndal Roper, The University of Oxford This is a major reworking of the visual history of witchcraft and more comprehensive than anything that has gone before. The scholarship is exhaustive and impeccable throughout! It will be the standard work on the subject for many years. Stuart Clark, University of Swansea


Author Information

University of Melbourne, Australia

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

wl

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List