Essay Title: The Peril of Autonomy: Witchcraft as a Proxy for Control in Stacey Halls’ Las malditas 1. Introduction
Halls uses the historical Pendle witch trials to explore how the "witch hunt" served as a systemic mechanism to suppress female agency, specifically regarding healthcare, reproductive rights, and class-transcending solidarity. 2. The Domestic Trap: Motherhood as Survival The Familiars by Stacey Halls | Coffee, Books and Cake
Set in Lancashire, 1612, the novel follows 17-year-old Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall. After three failed pregnancies, she discovers a letter from her doctor predicting she will not survive her fourth.
