A second helping from Satan: Elizabeth Knapp’s Possession

Elisabeth Ceppi, a professor and author specializing in Puritan-era culture, joins to discuss the fascinating case of Elizabeth Knapp—widely thought to be possessed in 1670s Massachusetts. Ceppi explores the unsettling fears Puritans had about serving roles, how notions of sin shaped their daily lives, and the implications of ownership and power in this context. They debate Knapp's motivations, the cultural frameworks of possession, and the interplay of gender and influence among young accusers, revealing a complex narrative of agency in a fearful society.