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Something Wicked

Witchcraft in Movies, Television, and Popular Culture
Brief Description
An anthology of essays that deal with Witchcraft and the figure of the Witch, as they have been presented in motion pictures, television, and popular culture, in order to understand how, why, and when the common anti-Witchcraft/ anti-Witch attitude evolved. Mainstream tales of Witchcraft, including modern... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$13500

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An examination of Witchcraft and the figure of the Witch in film, television, and culture to understand how, why, and when the anti-Witch/craft attitude evolved.

An examination of Witchcraft and the figure of the Witch in film, television, and culture to understand how, why, and when the anti-Witch/craft attitude evolved.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An anthology of essays that deal with Witchcraft and the figure of the Witch, as they have been presented in motion pictures, television, and popular culture, in order to understand how, why, and when the common anti-Witchcraft/ anti-Witch attitude evolved.

Mainstream tales of Witchcraft, including modern movies, novels, TV series, and other examples of our popular culture, more often than not express the traditional notion of a Witch as a wild, dangerous, untamable, โ€œnastyโ€ woman, obsessed with a desire for power to control all around her, in most narratives such a hunger presented as a negative. In truth, the Witch is a symbol of โ€˜threatening evilโ€™ only to those men and women who accept a conservative sensibility. For members of either gender who do not, the Witch is perceived as hero and role model.

This collection begins with the Biblical figure of Lilith, followed by Morgan le Fey from Arthurian legend/myth in literature as well as in popular culture, followed by the more contemporary depictions of the Witch that start to appear in the 1960s; for example, in the Bewitched sitcom, the Star Wars franchise, Harry Potter, and even the television show Scooby-Doo. International depictions of the Witch are discussed, including Italyโ€™s Dario Argentoโ€™s films, Suspiria and Inferno.

The final section of this collection focuses on the most iconic depictions of the Witch produced during the 21st century, including A Discovery of Witches, Penny Dreadful, Game of Thrones and the history of the Witch in films by the Walt Disney studio, from its origins more than a century ago to the latest releases, arguing that here, if perhaps surprisingly, we discover the most fair and balanced portraits of Witches in the history of film and TV.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9798765122303

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 May 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

Contributors:

  • Edited by Professor Douglas Brode
  • Edited by Dr. Leah Deyneka

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 150.0mm

Height: 226.0mm

Weight: 460g

Pages: 328

About the Author

Douglas Brode, now retired, was the Creator/Coordinator of the Film Classics Program for The Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, USA. He is a novelist, screenwriter, playwright, film historian, multi-award winning journalist, and multi-award winning educator.

Leah Deyneka holds a masterโ€™s degree in 19th-century literature from Kingโ€™s College, London, UK, and has written extensively on literature, film, media, and popular culture.

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