6/6/17. She explores the figure of the witch both as historical reality and as archetype - as Halloween hag and full-breasted seductress - as a lingering vestige of a primeval religion and a projection of fear of the unknown.
In prose and poetry, all wonderfully enhanced by the illustrations of Joseph A. Smith, Erica Jong treats the witch as a survivor of the age of sorcery, as a scapegoat for male-dominated church-state politics, as a remarkable natural healer, and as a hexer without peer. Tales of torture and triumph, a gallery of witches' familiars, real recipes for love potions and for flying lotions, and formulas for spells and incantations make this rich serio-comic excursion vibrate with mystery and delight.