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The Witch of Salem
Excerpt from The Witch of Salem: Or Credulity Run Mad
It is a difficult task to go back to ages by-gone, to divest ourselves of what we know and are and form a clear conception of generations that have been, of their experiences, objects, modes of life, thought and expression. It is a task better suited to the novelist than the historian, and even the former treads on dangerous ground in attempting it. One of the prime objects of the Columbian Historical Novels is to give the reader as clear an idea as possible of the common people, as well as of the rulers of the age. The author has endeavored at the risk of criticism to clothe the speeches of his characters in the dialect and idioms peculiar to the age in which they lived. In the former volumes, sentences most criticised are those taken literally as spoken or written at the time.
It is a difficult task to go back to ages by-gone, to divest ourselves of what we know and are and form a clear conception of generations that have been, of their experiences, objects, modes of life, thought and expression. It is a task better suited to the novelist than the historian, and even the former treads on dangerous ground in attempting it. One of the prime objects of the Columbian Historical Novels is to give the reader as clear an idea as possible of the common people, as well as of the rulers of the age. The author has endeavored at the risk of criticism to clothe the speeches of his characters in the dialect and idioms peculiar to the age in which they lived. In the former volumes, sentences most criticised are those taken literally as spoken or written at the time.
292 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1893
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 12, 2013
An incredible book about the madness of Salem and the history of the times. The combination of the story and the history makes you feel like this is not at all a work of fiction. It is a great reading for anyone interested in the Salem Trials.
The ending of the story might seem a little hurried and certain caracthers are lost during the story. However it is a delightfull reading.
The ending of the story might seem a little hurried and certain caracthers are lost during the story. However it is a delightfull reading.
August 30, 2022
The Witch of Salem by John R. Musick
Book Review:
This is an interesting read that is a piece of historical fiction about the origins of the witch trials in Salem.
However, the author rambled to try and cover a large area of unrelated material and at times was quite a tough read, it was a little old and outdated, but the story within the story was what kept it going.
There were several different views, and kept switching from one to the other briskly making it slightly difficult to follow.
The characters in the story, what made it more realistic, and you truly felt the horrors that they were going through at that period of time, you were willing the story along, and hoping, with your fingers crossed that it came to a happy and fulfilling ending.
I was not fond of the writing style, but persisted to finish the story. There was a point that I almost stopped reading this book, but glad I managed to trudge through to the end.
Book Review:
This is an interesting read that is a piece of historical fiction about the origins of the witch trials in Salem.
However, the author rambled to try and cover a large area of unrelated material and at times was quite a tough read, it was a little old and outdated, but the story within the story was what kept it going.
There were several different views, and kept switching from one to the other briskly making it slightly difficult to follow.
The characters in the story, what made it more realistic, and you truly felt the horrors that they were going through at that period of time, you were willing the story along, and hoping, with your fingers crossed that it came to a happy and fulfilling ending.
I was not fond of the writing style, but persisted to finish the story. There was a point that I almost stopped reading this book, but glad I managed to trudge through to the end.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews