Love and hate in the time of plague

1. Love and hate in the time of plague an introduction to Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

2. 1665 and all that …* Revolution*Religious fanaticism* Witchcraft

3. Living in London (and England) … 1660’s

4. “The Black Death began in Europe in 1347 and carried off an estimated 30 percent or more of the population of Europe. For centuries the epidemic continued to strike every 10 years or so, its last major outbreak being the Great Plague of London from 1665 to 1666. The disease is spread by rats and transmitted to people by fleas, or, in some cases, directly by breathing.”

5. The reaction to the plague …

6. ¼ of the population dead:a logistical nightmare today, let alone in the 17th century

7. Eyam … To London

8. The Eyam Church • The well, on the outskirts of the village, where food and coin were exchanged • Eyam’s main street (now!) • The Bradfords’ house

9. Witchcraft & Puritanism

10. Background – factors to help your understanding • [ - make sure you are familiar with how each of these factors affected life in Eyam …] • Life in 17th-century rural England: • Isolated • Surrounded by superstition • Brutal – extremes of weather & work. • Controlled – social hierarchies • “Primitive” living conditions • Limited medical knowledge • Major “world” events – • English Revolution 1642-60 • Puritanism • The London plague (1665) • The Great Fire (1666) • Witchcraft

11. “She’s a witch!”