Appunti di English women literature

10/02

A look on how the witches are represented

All goes back to 16th – 17th century

Gaskell (female version of Charles dickens) Victorian writer, she is in between, feminist

but also aware

Writing in her own way but somehow scared of Victorian era, somehow she hides – if

women wanted to publish they had to have an humble attitude, not

Set in Salem in the 17th century – witch as isolated and different

1970s Caryl Churchill, vinegar tom(?) her play, 17 century witchcraft

Lois the witch in the collection of gothic tales

Assessment method > either oral exam or rather essay / or presentation in groups?

History of witchcraft

Trials were the basis for the inclusion of the witch within the feminist movement >

politically interesting for the 1970s for italian, a march, one of the greatest protest in

italian context, slogan “tremate tremate le streghe son tornate” > a symbol of

feminist movement in 60s and 70s, idea of feminist to identify to the witches,

1968 in New York, on Halloween’s night a group of women international terrorists

conspiracy from hell > the next day the stock market (borsa) fell

1915(?) started in Chicago (?), in favour of more affordable houses, abortion, against

trump in general

Idea of gathering together and fight

There is often a theatrical element, all dressing up

—

Historical background, general idea about witchcraft

Before the Protestant reformation, the relation with magic was peaceful, many

practices in the Middle Ages in the time white magic (calinfork?), healing; then there

was black magic (witches) idea of malicious, harm and do something bad – usually

white magic were usually men while black magic users accused were women

The idea of the demonic power became particularly strong after Christianity,

condemned more and more at the end of the Middle Ages, idea of presence of satan

Cecco D’Ascoli, Florence, one of the first writer of magician (15th century there was

great tolerance to philosopher and intellectual who were studiying magic like Ficino)

Late medieval time changes the rise of science that is called demonology, study of

witchcraft and how it was discussed in text, a new threat the satanic witch they were

believed to worship satan

Sabbath the nocturnal meeting where withces had sexual intercourses with the devil,

the sexual element was particularly underlined in these texts

Demonology started to apply to politics

James 6 (/ the first?) of Scotland and then king of England and Scotland published a

famous text called demonology

The witches confessed apparently during tortures, experiments on witches, they

drowned cause they couldn’t swim

Salem started cause tituba confessed, puritans behind that water experiment, not

accepted by god water

Witches organised themselves to kills the king, acting against the monarch > idea of

political enemy

…

Malleus malificarum

How to conduct a witch trial, a manual on how to organise and very detailed

instructions, first openly misogynistic demonistic text that gave detailed examples and

reasons why woman were attracted by witchcraft, morally inferior, most important text

of demonology, explained the misogynistic from historical point of view

[11/2] missed class

17/2

1 critical reading uploaded on virtuale (Silvia Federici?)

Last week we started with witchcraft in general

It’s hard to … the specific places where the witch hunt took place

The first problematic witch production is from a German, hans baldung

-‘witches preparing for the sabbath flight’, first one who gave us a first representations

of witch as naked, not riding a broom but riding a goat, element of subversion

Last week we’ve seen witches riding brooms (that may be a sexualised symbol) but

also idea of domesticity

The idea of animals, witch transformed into a cat, idea of bestiality, intercourses with

animals

Idea of voyeristic element, male gaze spying on women activity, witches do not seem

bothered, also the title tell us the idea of sabbath, intercourses with devil, this is

highlighting the sexuality idea,

-‘three witches’

Given as a new year gift to a cleric to highlight the promiscuity

Triangular idea of the witches, the only feature of witchcraft is the pot at the top

Male viewers, spying on the witches’ doing

The artist (hans baldung) is the first one to give the idea of witches as sexually

dangerous

-Henry fuseli, Macbeth act1 scene3, painting of 3 witches

3 different sketches of the same subject, the 3 witches look more masculine,

prominent noses, not naked,

The role of women in theatre was always played by men, this could be a reference to

that

-Frederick Sandys, Medea 1868 (late Victorian)

Pre Raphaelite (?) a movement in England, all inspired by italian painter Raffaello

Medea represented as a witch, very different iconography

A period of great turmoil and great changes,

Black curls were identified to witches (in a previous novel by Elliot? There was an anti

Victorian woman with curly black hair that identified as a witch, dies drowning, wants

to give her idea of feminity)

Idea of sexualised oriental woman,

Idea of voyeurismo slightly changed, she doesn’t look at us and she is intent in doing

something (like a potion or casting a spell)

Becoming more independent and

[end of presentation]

Witchcraft and gender



The high infant mortality was a reason to accuse women to be witches and be

responsable of the death of children, ma y midwife (ostetriche) were accused and not

trusted

Represented as old and ugly

Witches as sinners > sexual enjoyment as sin, the guilt of sexual pleasure

The church played a fundamental role, the inquisition in general

Aggressive misogynist campaign,

- Matilda joslyn gage 1826-1898

American activist, writer, abolitionist

[slide]

- Silvia Federici’s theory: witchcraft and capitalism

3 fundamental historical phenomenon:

19/2

Most women accused were peasant

[new slides]

Witchcraft on the Elizabeth and Jacobean Stage



th th

16 and 17 century were the most intense centuries for the witch trials in England

(and Scotland)

Theatre gained popularity

st st

Elizabeth 1 was queen until James 1 (Scotland and then England Scotland and

Ireland) figures of witches were not present on plays

The idea of female witch didn’t exist but we had quite a wide selection of male

wizards, magicians etc

H. W. Herrington was the first one to talk about it, he identified 2 different type of

magician:

1. The medieval enchantment, very similar to the idea of Merlin, magic abilities that

come from within

2. The practicing magician, example of doctor Faustus, idea of a scholar, gentleman,

treats magic as part of his intellectual knowledge and studies it, want to go beyond

the limits

3. Nobleman in banishment, example of Prospero, he uses his magical abilities in

consequence of his exile as a form of revenge

-the character of the devil is not taken as serious, almost comic > the female witch

figure was not there, why?

Because the queen’s mother, Anne Boleyn, had been accused to be a witch because of

the catholic propaganda

The first play that is staged by Shakespeare is Macbeth,

- Witchcraft in Macbeth

Macbeth 1606

This is the only tragedy by sh. Where the hero is openly a criminal who kills

undisturbed st

Tensed political moment when he decided to put references of James 1 in the play

Witchcraft in the play is also a reference to the sovereign (cause he wrote

demonology)

The 3 sisters are never referred as witches, even though they are, but almost more

similar to faeries,

There is a prophecy, so more close to 3 fates (le 3 parche)

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Many interpret lady Macbeth as the 4 witch

The idea of the 3 ‘weird’ sister comes from the term ‘wayward’ meaning disobedient or

perverse, negative attribute

From a linguistic pov its different to understand what they say, and they expressed

themselves differently from other characters > A complex, cryptic, but memorable

language > they speak in rhyme couplets

This is one of the darkest sh. Plays, the witches also set the dark gloomy gothic mood

3 witches that will appear 3 times and make 3 prophecies

Encounter is iconic

Ambiguity is one of the key word when we talk about sh. > as if he didn’t know what

to do with the witches, he plays with it

Using chestnuts to cook was typical of very poor people

“Thunder. Enter the 3 witches” first encounter

One says her(?) husband has gone to Aleppo (a ship?), they talk about lady Macbeth?

Having supernatural capacities, one will do so much sex with him that he will die