Damned An Illustrated History of the Devil

Publishers Weekly

This wickedly attractive coffee-table book by Muchembled, a Parisian scholar who specializes in the history of witchcraft, traces the devil from the 12th century to the present. Satan, writes Muchembled, represents "the dark side of Western culture" and is a product of the human imagination, so any analysis of Old Scratch reveals a great deal about the changing landscapes of Europe and America through the ages. One particularly intriguing chapter touches on contemporary themes: how psychoanalysis has changed our view of the devil, how horror films have depicted Satan and how recent marketers have blithely employed his image to sell products. Muchembled doesn't have time for real depth of analysis in the short essays that form the text of this book, which is a pity, because he offers some provocative insights and sharp cultural critique. The real star is the book's full-color art, with its dazzling display of images from medieval manuscripts to contemporary comics. We see depictions of masks, cartoons, sketches, masters' paintings, facsimiles of broadsides, woodcuts and carvings of the devil through the ages. All are accompanied by Muchembled's incisive (and occasionally mordant) commentary. (Oct. 15) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In the 12th century, Europe invented the Devil, whose mission is the temptation and damnation of humankind. In five highly readable essays, Muchembled (cultural history, Univ. of Paris) presents the multiple traditions that spawned the myth and its progress from the 12th century to our own. He describes how Satan took hold of the popular imagination and how women, in particular, were actively persecuted for presumably consorting with Satan. Later, he shows the transition from the literal belief in Satan to evil as the dark side of the human condition and explores issues like the Freudian interpretation, the rise of the horror story, trivialization, and parody. Lest the reader be unimpressed by mere verbiage,the author includes an amazing assortment of historical images: vivid color plates, as well as drawings, lithographs, Hollywood and French movie stills, cartoons, and comic books of devils, temptations, and satanic rituals. Many are quaint and some are humorous, but as a caution, some images will be considered offensive. That said, this book is recommended for libraries with strong collections in cultural anthropology and Western civilization.-Ilene Skeen, Hunter Coll., New York Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.