Notes on Witchcraft

Published in 1907, 'Notes on Witchcraft' by George Lyman Kittredge provides a historical analysis of witchcraft in New England, focusing on the Salem Witch Trials. Kittredge argues that witchcraft beliefs were not unique to Puritan thought but were part of a broader, universal human concern. He critiques the perception of the Salem events as driven by exceptional fanaticism, instead framing them within the global context of witch trials throughout history, emphasizing the sociocultural factors that influenced these beliefs in the 17th century.