Witches & neighbours cover

Witches & neighbours

by Robin Briggs

"In his reinterpretation of the course and causes of the witchcraft fears and persecutions which bedevilled Europe for centuries, Robin Briggs draws on the latest research into the local realities behind the phenomenon. In particular, he employs his own extensive work in the rich archives of the duchy of Lorraine, in those Franco-German borderlands which saw so many of the known cases. Briggs shows us a people diverting ordinary and not-so-ordinary grievances into a complex structure of blaming and scapegoating. Villagers inhabited a harsh and dangerous world, where real and fantastic fears constantly mingled. There had to be causes, there had to be neighbours in league with demons - once they were identified, surely freedom would come? Briggs skilfully and stylishly traces - by study of real cases and real lives, individual hysteria and disillusionment, institutional scepticism and opposition - the ways in which beliefs about witchcraft responded to changes in European society."--BOOK JACKET.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?