Mairi Cowan

The author did an excellent job of using "The Possession of Barbe Hallay" as a jumping off point for discussing the nature of early political and religious environment in 17th century Canada. It was interesting to read about how the possible possession of a young female servant was treated and provided a contrast to the events that occurred in Massachusetts around the same time. The author makes the argument that there was an higher level of education and a self-distancing from the mythology of demons and witches within New France. This may explain a lack of hysteria related to this possession and several others that occurred in the same area and time period.

My three star rating is not about the content of the book but about my expectations of the book based on the title. I was expecting more detail about both the possession and the daily life of New France. I do understand there were certain limitations based on available records and first hand accounts. In addition, the accounts of daily life that do exist seem to have been written for a specific audience which means that they cannot be taken entirely at face value. After all during this time, there was a push to grow the colony of New France and a need to convince people to travel there.

Overall, I am happy to add the information in this book to my understanding of the witch trials as it provides a different perspective on these events. It also provides a possible explanation for why hysteria occurred in Massachusetts but not in New France even though they were relatively close together.… (meer)