Fearless Wives and Frightened Shrews : The Construction of the Witch in Early Modern Germany

In fifteenth-century Germany, women were singled out as witches for the first time in history; this book explores why. Sigrid Brauner examines the connections among three central developments in early modern Germany: a shift in gender roles for women; the rise of a new urban ideal of femininity; and the witch hunts that swept across Europe from 1435 to 1750. "In medieval discourse on witchcraft, Brauner argues, men and women were assumed to become witches in roughly equal numbers. But starting with the notorious Malleus Maleficarum (1487), witchcraft was reinterpreted as a gender-specific crime: its authors contentiously argued that most witches were women and linked the crime of witchcraft to women's voracious sexual appetites. Protestant authors such as Martin Luther, Paul Rebhun, and Hans Sachs. . . dismissed such lurid claims about women's sexuality. But they continued to see witchcraft as a female crime. . . . Most notably in Rebhun's and Sach's work, the witch is associated with disobedience to husbands and inappropriate gender behavior. Thus Brauner's careful and intelligent readings of these authors suggest . . . that preserving gender hierarchy may indeed have been a priority for German authorities."-Signs "Brauner's book speaks expertly and persuasively to a diverse audience . . . interested in modern literary, cultural, and gender studies. . . . [It] is a pleasure to read."-German Quarterly "Raises interesting questions about the genesis of the modern social problems of race, gender, and class oppression, and locates their roots in the early modern period."-Choice Until her accidental death in 1992, Sigrid Brauner was assistant professor of German literature at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her book was edited for publication by her friend robert h. brown, author of Nature's Hidden Terror: Violent Nature Imagery in Eighteenth-Century Germany. In Fifteenth-century Germany, Women Were Singled Out As Witches For The First Time In History; This Book Explores Why. Sigrid Brauner Examines The Connections Among Three Central Developments In Early Modern Germany: A Shift In Gender Roles For Women; The Rise Of A New Urban Ideal Of Femininity; And The Witch Hunts That Swept Across Europe From 1435 To 1750. Brauner Shows That The Modern Notion Of The Witch As A Willful, Conniving, Promiscuous Woman Was First Established By German Inquisitors In The Malleus Maleficarum (1487). In Subsequent Works By Martin Luther And The Sixteenth-century Playwrights Paul Rebhun And Hans Sachs, The Witch Emerged As The Counterpart To The New Feminine Ideal Of The Urban Housewife. By Demonstrating How The Binary Concepts Of Good Housewife And Bad Wife (or Witch) Were Propagated Among The Educated Urban Elite Who Presided Over Witch Trials, Brauner Suggests That The Witch Hunts Functioned To Discipline Women Who Failed To Display The Docility And Subservience Expected Of The New Urban Housewife. The Modern Witch: Concept, History, Context -- The Malleus Maleficarum: Witches As Wanton Women -- Martin Luther: Witches And Fearless Wives -- Paul Rebhun: Witches And Bad Wives -- Hans Sachs: The Witch Lurking Within -- Burning The Witch To Tame The Shrew -- Appendix: Sixteenth-century Terms For Witches. Sigrid Brauner ; Edited With An Introduction By Robert H. Brown ; Foreword By Sara Lennox. Revision Of The Author's Thesis (ph. D.)--university Of California, Berkeley. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 143-161) And Index. This study explores why, in 15th-century Germany, women were singled out as witches for the first time in history. The author examines the connections between the shift in gender roles for women, the rise of a new urban ideal of femininity and the witch-hunts that spread across Europe at that time.