Demonic possession is not only a plot device in classic horror films but also a common reality of life in 19th-century Russian villages. Kristin Vorobets's monograph examines the phenomenon of hysteria as a social and cultural phenomenon with a wide range of meanings attributed to it by various groups in Russian society. The author examines the behavior of hysterics from various perspectives, ranging from folk Orthodoxy and secular rationalism to literary practices particularly important to Russian culture. Vorobets demonstrates that hysteria is part of a unique ritual drama, and to understand it, it is necessary to consider the sociocultural context of peasant women's lives in the 19th-century Russian Empire. Kristin Vorobets is a professor emeritus at Northern Illinois University and a recipient of the Heldt Prize for Best Book in Women's Studies.