Rating: 
Summary: Tunnel Vision at its best
Review: What struck me most while reading this book is that it raised the image, time and time again, of the conscious mind trying to understand the elements of a dream. In the final analysis, I found this book to be typical of the historians approach to studying religion and the sacred, meaning it is like a person born and raised in a wealthy family writing about the views of poor people.In Triumph of the Moon, Hutton tries to make a case for where the concepts found in modern Wiccan originated, using the poetry and philosophy of various writers he feels were key figures in the evolution of modern witchcraft. Hutton focuses largely on writings produced between the 14th and 19th century. Even though much of the content of these writings are based upon pre-existing myths, ancient deities, archaic beliefs and practices, Hutton treats the material of those he cites as being made up out of whole cloth. This fits his agenda nicely, but poorly serves both the readers of this book and the insights of the authors examined by Hutton. An example of one of Hutton's targets is Robert Graves, and Graves' book The White Goddess. Hutton claims that Graves essentially invented the Triformis Goddess known in Wicca, and her association with the moon as well as the concept of Mother, Maiden, Crone. However, ancient Greek and Roman writers spoke of Hecate and Diana/Artemis as a triformis goddess (often calling her Trivia, goddess of the three roads) and these goddesses were indentified with witches even as late as the first century BC in the writings of Horace, Ovid, and Lucan. Additionally, the image of the Mother, Maiden and Crone appears in the iconography of ancient Greece and Rome in the image of the three Fates. Therefore, it is quite clear that Graves did not invent these concepts. Hutton conveniently dimisses the writings of various historians and commentators such as Michelet, Gomme, Tartarotti, Jancke, Mone and others who held that witchcraft was, to one degree or another, the survival of ancient pagan religion. Hutton ultimately deals with their views as being essentially flights of fancy, and in doing so fails to realize the power and influence of the Muse, as only a historian can. Joseph Campbell once said that we have two levels and modes of consciousness, the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. He pointed out that each one comprises 50% of our accumulative consciousness, and yet we rely upon only the one half, the conscious mind and its view of the world. In this regard, we can truly say that Hutton's book is indeed a half-brained idea.
Rating: 
Summary: A must-read on modern witchcraft and Wicca
Review: Wow, do I know I lot of people who need to read this! Someone, and a respected historian-someone at that, has finally done it - and I only hope that there is more to come!
I came across this book in a university course and I can only say that I am deeply grateful to know that something like it has finally been written. Why didn't anyone mention it to me before huh? - I thought this was bound to be a standard work on every Wiccan's, Witch's or Pagan's bookshelf, right next to Margot Adler's "Drawing Down The Moon"! Hutton's book is an in-depth study of the backgrounds, origins and development of modern Pagan witchcraft. Although it mainly focuses on Britain and on Wicca, it certainly provides a lot of "where-from" information on Neo-Paganism in general as well. The first part of the book - "Macrocosm" - is a thorough study of the larger context, which in 1800-1940 Britain made it possible that something like Wicca could evolve. It deals with Romantic literature, archaeology, the 'cunning folk' and popular 'low magic', European learned 'high magic', folklore, secret societies, Theosophy, the Order of the Golden Dawn and Freemasonry etc. etc.
The second part - "Microcosm" - deals with the actual development of Wiccan traditions as they are practised today, starting with Gerald Gardner, then moving on to other important figures (such as Doreen Valiente etc.) and describing the development of other Wiccan traditions and also assumedly-independent-from-Wicca witchcraft traditions. Hutton also acknowledges the importance of the USA and how Wicca was greatly changed by the left-wing feminist attitude of American practitioners. Although not written academically dry it is certainly no light read, just because of the sheer mass of information it includes, but it will be worth the effort, trust me.
Seldom have I read a book so packed full of things that I have always wanted to know and wondered about. I even know my share about Freemasonry now ;). The enormous research behind it and excessive end-notes satisfy even my sceptical mind. Hey, finally someone tries to PROVE what they are saying! It is therefore also a great sourcebook and basic work for further studies of your own. However, for those who firmly believe in an unbroken continuity of Wicca from before the burning times, it is certainly a challenge, because Hutton does away with this theory most thoroughly. - But he does so in a very kind way, showing that there really is no need to justify a perfectly acceptable modern religion by means of these "ancient roots", and that, even if modern Pagans do pick and choose from actual older sources&religions, they are creating something uniquely modern, but nonetheless perfectly valid in the process. The only two drawbacks are the tiny tiny tiny printing in the paperback, which has me longing for the hardcover edition - hopefully printed larger so that I can read it again and again without needing a magnifying glass or ruining my eyes.
The other is that for someone completely new to the subject it is probably sometimes hard to understand what it is all about, especially since Hutton includes so much detailed information. If you've never heard of modern witchcraft, Wicca or Paganism, read "Drawing Down The Moon" first - then you can truly enjoy "The Triumph Of The Moon".
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