Seventeenth-century witchcraft is where Mark Winkler is at

The Errors of Dr Browne

Mark Winkler

Penguin Random House

Mark Winkler has moved into historical fiction for his latest novel. It is a surprising choice, though he is known for moving easily between genres. Winkler's central character is real-life figure Dr Thomas Browne, who in his 17th-century lifetime was a doctor, scientist, philosopher, important literary figure and coiner of words still used in modern English.

One of the oddest episodes of Browne’s life, and the one that is the subject of Winkler’s book, was his appearance as investigator and witness in a notorious witch trial in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk that led to the execution of two elderly women. Browne was invited by the man due to preside over the trial to look into the circumstances surrounding the accusations they faced.

In the mid-17th century, many people, probably most, believed in witchcraft, whether they were educated or not. Even Browne, who considered himself a man of science, though also a devout Christian, was torn between belief and scepticism. And in something he would come to bitterly regret, he allowed his beliefs to be manipulated and to outweigh his doubts. His decisions would continue to reverberate, playing a major part in the later Salem witch trials in America. (Horrifyingly, the Witchcraft Act in Britain was only repealed in 1952 after two wartime trials of fraudulent mediums).

As Winkler’s cleverly crafted book shows clearly, elderly, defenceless women were the main victims of witch accusations. If they upset their neighbours or were “difficult”, they were obvious targets and laws, made and administered by men, could be bent and subverted to deal with them. 

Writing in the first person when the narrator is a 17th-century character means language becomes a huge challenge for the author. Make it too modern and the anachronisms will grate on the reader and make it unconvincing. But too much God-wottery can also be difficult to deal with. Winkler has made Browne’s voice pretty well pitch-perfect. He is obviously not a 21st-century man, but the novel is still easy to read and moves briskly. And Browne, while flawed, is an endearing central character, occasionally witty and ready, eventually, to admit his mistakes.