Spiritualism in the Age of Sherlock Holmes and Edgar Allan Poe
A woman wearing a black veil convenes a séance. A magician puts a volunteer into a trance. A fortune-teller leans over a crystal ball. Everyone knows what Victorian mysticism looks like because our modern imagery, language, and practice of magic borrows heavily from the Victorians. But we have little understanding of its spiritual, cultural, and historical foundations.
What made the Victorians turn to mediumship, hypnotism, and fortune-telling? What were they afraid of? What were they seeking?
This book explores the history of automatic writing, cartomancy, clairvoyance, and more. It reveals how Victorian belief in ghosts, fairies, and nature spirits shaped our celebrations of Halloween and Christmas. With historic examples and hands-on exercises, you will discover how spiritualism in the time of Jack the Ripper, Jane Eyre, ""A Christmas Carol,"" and Dracula left such a profound impact on both the past and present.
By:
Steele Alexandra Douris
Imprint: Llewellyn Publications,U.S.
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 203mm,
Width: 133mm,
Spine: 14mm
Weight: 249g
ISBN: 9780738774619
ISBN 10: 0738774618
Pages: 226
Publication Date: 08 September 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Contents List of Exercises xi Introduction: An Invitation to the Night-Side 1 Part 1: The Soul of Spiritualism: Core Beliefs and Practices Chapter 1: Séances and Spirit Communication: The Heart of Spiritualism 11 Chapter 2: Mesmerism, Channeling, and Hypnotism: The Power of Trance 33 Chapter 3: The Automatic Arts: Pens and Planchettes 45 Chapter 4: Spirit Photography: Capturing the Invisibles 57 Chapter 5: Paranormal Investigations: Psychical Research and Occult Detectives 75 Part 2: The Invisible World: Shades of the Victorian Supernatural Chapter 6: Ghost-Seers and Ghostlore: From the Night- Side to the Ghost World 91 Chapter 7: Fairies, Flowers, and Folklore: Natural Enchantments 107 Chapter 8: Fortune-Telling: A Subtle and Stigmatized Craft 123 Part 3: Magic in Victorian Media Chapter 9: The Victorian Gothic: Literary Phenomena 141 Chapter 10: Pre-Raphaelite Art: Seers and Sorceresses 155 Part 4: Seasonal Spirits and Superstitions Chapter 11: Hallowe'en Celebrations: Ghosts, Goblins, and Grooms 177 Chapter 12: Christmas Ghost Stories: The Spirits of Midwinter 189 Conclusion 199 Glossary 201 Recommended Reading 203 Bibliography 205
Steele Alexandra Douris is an author, artist, and Victorianist, specializing in Victorian crime, gothic fiction, and spiritualism. She is a PhD candidate in the English department at Stanford University, where she has taught courses on Victorian spiritualism, ghost stories, and the gothic novel. She holds an MA in English from Stanford University and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. The author of Spirits, Seers & Seances: Victorian Spiritualism, Magic & the Supernatural, Steele splits her time between foggy NorCal and sunny South Texas.
