EEBO-TCP in reception studies: reading demonology in early modern England

The proposed paper forms part of a wider study into the material production and contemporary reception of writing on witchcraft in early modern England. Assessing the reception of printed demonology has involved comparative study of the citation and use of both English and Continental writing on witchcraft, both within the discourse and without. This research would not have been possible without the opportunity for text-search opened up by EEBO-TCP. Full-text searches were used to build up a database of citations, the results of which offer a reassessment of the relative importance of particular works on witchcraft during the period. The research also makes a contribution to our wider understanding of reading habits during the period. This paper will present the results of this research, alongside discussion of the benefits and difficulties of using EEBO-TCP to obtain the results.