In Defense of Witches

The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial

By: Mona Chollet, Sophie R. Lewis - translator, Carmen Maria Machado - introduction

Narrated by: Alix Dunmore

Mona Chollet's In Defense of Witches is a “brilliant, well-documented” celebration (Le Monde) by an acclaimed French feminist of the witch as a symbol of female rebellion and independence in the face of misogyny and persecution.

Centuries after the infamous witch hunts that swept through Europe and America, witches continue to hold a unique fascination for many: as fairy tale villains, practitioners of pagan religion, as well as feminist icons. Witches are both the ultimate victim and the stubborn, elusive rebel. But who were the women who were accused and often killed for witchcraft? What types of women have centuries of terror censored, eliminated, and repressed?

Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and persecuted: the independent woman, since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman, since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman, who has always been an object of at best, pity, and at worst, horror. Examining modern society, Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harassed and oppressed. Rather than being a brief moment in history, the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny, while women today are direct heirs to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions.

With fiery prose and arguments that range from the scholarly to the cultural, In Defense of Witches seeks to unite the mythic image of the witch with modern women who seek to live their lives on their own terms.

So much to unpack in the history of women

Enjoyed learning all the underlying reasons for something we learn as if it was almost part of a fairy tale and not the consistent oppression women have endured for centuries. A book to keep for consultation and take notes.

Powerful Look into the History of Women's Oppression

Our creativity, freedom, safety, intelligence, instincts, and basic humanity has been undermined for centuries. It leaves one to wonder, if men are natural leaders and providers, who possess greater strength and intelligence, why the need for a concentrated and targeted effort to bind women?

It feels much more like jealousy and fear based actions. You're not truly the best if you must silence others in order to gain power.

Powerful!!

One of my favorite audible books to date!! So profoundly moving in is discussing how the witch hunts were ways of controlling the strong, intelligent, women of the time.

Interesting read

Very interesting account of the history of the witch hunts and the impact it has had on women even to this day.

Good.

Really good book - but difficult as an audiobook. I wanted to make notes and reference other writings which is difficult if you listen while driving, etc.