Oedipus and the Devil: Witchcraft, Religion and Sexuality in Early Modern Europe

by Lyndal Roper

This bold and imaginative book marks out a different route towards understanding the body, and its relationship to culture and subjectivity. Amongst other subjects, Lyndal Roper deals with the nature of masculinity and feminity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Witches, Religion, Witchcraft, Politics, Gender and Sexuality

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 1994

About the author

Lyndal Roper, FRHistS, FBA, is an Australian historian and academic. She was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford in 2011. She is a fellow of Oriel College, an honorary fellow of Merton College, Oxford, and the author of a variety of groundbreaking works on witchcraft.

Reviews

[saizine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of essays; I must admit that I am intrigued by the argument that witchcraft accusations often stemmed not from misogyny and sexual antagonism but from anxieties surrounding maternity, motherhood, and fertility (i.e. a common pattern was the post-menopausal, infertile woman accused of threatening or harming an infant or its mother). I also appreciate the argument for a true history of the body rather than a history of bodily discourse, and paying attention to individual (or as close to the individual as we can get) interior worlds in studying historical phenomena. If you're just picking and choosing essays I'd recommend 'Will and honour: sex, words and power in Augsburg', 'Blood and codpieces: masculinity in the early modern German town', and 'Witchcraft and fantasy in early modern Germany', but this is certainly a well-organized and well-written volume that is equally interesting read as a start-to-finish book. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the study of early modern witchcraft, gender relations, identity construction, and how to employ a psychoanalytic perspective in a way that's useful in writing history.

[sj]

me when a book called oedipus and the devil uses freud: 😮

[Cali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unbelievably on board for Roper's diagnoses: The challenge of reconstructing early modern subjectivities, particularly in relation to the supernatural and "pre-modern self," keeps me awake at night. Depending on the day, the phrase "pre-modern" self makes me want to defenestrate half of my field. Roper expertly identifies the problem, but I cannot bring myself to accept psychoanalysis as the solution. Aspects are worthwhile, including her emphasis on the individual psyche and contemporary patriarchal wrestling, but I cannot in good faith entertain a wholly Oedipal reading of witches. 3.5 stars.

[Chris Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well organized and written, delving into gender stereotypes and sexual mentality back in the early catholic/protestant era.

[Julaine]

Date Purchased??

[Lucy Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyndal Roper is always a pleasure to read. thought-provoking analysis of subjectivity and the best work on returning gender studies to the body that I've read.

[ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A autora busca compreender a construção sociocultural da feminilidade e da masculinidade a partir de estudos de caso de processos de feitiçaria de Augsburgo no decorrer dos séculos XVI e XVII. Nesta obra, a historiadora procura sobretudo entender e explorar a interação entre sobrenatural e o mundo natural em uma dimensão psicológica da cultura popular. Ela mistura psicanalise e teoria feminista. O que significava a masculinidade e a feminilidade em um universo mental dominado pela magia? Qual foi o impacto cultural da Reforma e Contra-Reforma neste mundo mágico e sua relação com o gênero? Como eram as fronteiras entre o racional e o desenhado irracionalmente, e como isso afetou a vida psíquica dos homens e mulheres? Judith Butler, Freud, Foucault, Certeau e os estudos clássicos de Nobert Elias sobre a reforma dos costumes e a formação do Estado moderno são alguns autores que a autora recorre para debater essas questões. Em alguns momentos, não sei se ela conseguiu me convencer, mas acredito que seja porque eu não entendo quase nada de psicanálise, porém acho o debate que ela faz sobre identidade, a dimensão psicológica e a construção da narrativa dos processos de feitiçaria tentando compreender a subjetividade dos seus objetos de pesquisa muito interessante.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe a little less witchcraft focused than I was hoping for? But still an interesting read. Surprisingly a lot quicker to get through than I was anticipating, though there were a few points that dragged a tiny bit. I will say, I wish I had read this before graduating, because I can imagine it would have come in really handy for writing essays...

[Barbora Jiřincová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Musím říct, že jsem ještě nečetla žádnou knihu, která by dějiny genderu (v raném novověku) odhalovala s takovou pokorou. Kromě toho, že autorka se veřejně přiznává ke spoustě ve feministických kruzích "heretickým" myšlenkám, tak používá inovativní metody a dokonce se odvažuje tvrdit, že možná s těmi dějinami mentalit děláme jako historici příliš velký humbuk, že možná lidé byli vždy lidé a pochopit je nemusí být zase až tak složité. No, to je jen výběr ze zajímavých myšlenek, které autorka do knihy vměstnala. A k tomu se zabývá velmi fundovaně tím, co slibuje v názvu - tedy dějinami genderu, sexuality a magie (čarodějnictví) v raně novověkém Německu.

[Brianna Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting.