'Witches in Literature: From Lolly Willowes to the Owens Sisters' with Professor Allan Johnson

The figure of the witch underwent a remarkable transformation during the twentieth century. In this talk, Professor Allan Johnson explores the portrayal of witches and witchcraft in modern and contemporary fiction, considering how earlier beliefs, fears, and superstitions about witchcraft shaped literary representations, and how those representations changed alongside the emergence of modern traditions such as Wicca. Along the way, we will consider why the witch has proved such a persistent figure in literature, and what she might continue to represent for contemporary writers and readers.

Professor Allan Johnson specialises in esotericism and the occult in literature. He is the author of The Sacred Life of Modernist Literature: Immanence, Occultism, and the Making of the Modern World (Bloomsbury), alongside other books and numerous articles.