gesang reviewed The Devils of Loudun by Aldous Huxley
Historically inaccurate, but...
5 stars
The book is in some aspects historically inaccurate, for example it is simply wrong to equate the position put forwarded by Malleus Maleficarum as the official position of the Church. Since Huxley was writing at a time when the historical studies about the early modern witch hunt hadn't been conducted seriously, it is understandable. Overall Huxley's knowledge in the early modern period is vast, he read extensively the works of Bodin, Bacon, Rayleigh, etc., and he cites them without any effort, he paints a more than vivid picture of the period. This is a strange book, and maybe Huxley's best. It is a book that is actually about everything, the whole of humanity. Written in the style of a fiction, but with extensive commentaries in various fields, ranging from history of demonology to spirituality. With attention to important details, so that, for example, it is better than any history book …
The book is in some aspects historically inaccurate, for example it is simply wrong to equate the position put forwarded by Malleus Maleficarum as the official position of the Church. Since Huxley was writing at a time when the historical studies about the early modern witch hunt hadn't been conducted seriously, it is understandable. Overall Huxley's knowledge in the early modern period is vast, he read extensively the works of Bodin, Bacon, Rayleigh, etc., and he cites them without any effort, he paints a more than vivid picture of the period. This is a strange book, and maybe Huxley's best. It is a book that is actually about everything, the whole of humanity. Written in the style of a fiction, but with extensive commentaries in various fields, ranging from history of demonology to spirituality. With attention to important details, so that, for example, it is better than any history book in teaching people how the legal system worked in the early modern period. With philosophical reflections and comments on spirituality, better than what Huxley has written in his Perennial Philosophy. He also touches upon law, society, politics... all with considerable depth and moreover wisdom. It is written by someone who actually knows the complexity of human phenomena, it is plainly visible, and this is an extreme rare occasion. Friedrich Heer was one, Voegelin was another, and I can hardly think of a fourth, mostly because, I think, genuinely intelligent man (which certainly doesn't include that plethora of scientists and experts, even if they read extensively) rarely are interested in writing about human society. I cannot do justice to this book for now. It is still out of my grasp.