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A Romance of Two Worlds
A new scholarly edition of a major late-Victorian scientific romance novel Marie Corelli's A Romance of Two Worlds is regarded as one of the most culturally important Victorian bestsellers. This critical edition offers instructive access to this multifaceted but still largely underappreciated novel that is a key text for scholars and students of late-Victorian women's writing. It also raises urgent questions about a wide array of textual and cultural concerns, especially the form and function of the Victorian 'bestseller'.
Key Features
Contains a thorough critical and analytical introduction, annotations and appendices Provides context and underlines the aesthetic significance of Corelli's supernatural romance Engages with the full range of secondary scholarship on this neglected late-Victorian author
Key Features
Contains a thorough critical and analytical introduction, annotations and appendices Provides context and underlines the aesthetic significance of Corelli's supernatural romance Engages with the full range of secondary scholarship on this neglected late-Victorian author
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1886
69 people are currently reading
665 people want to read
About the author
Marie Corelli
429 books184 followersMarie Corelli (born Mary Mackay) was a best-selling British novelist of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, whose controversial works of the time often label her as an early advocate of the New Age movement.
In the 1890’s Marie Corelli’s novels were eagerly devoured by millions in England, America and the colonies. Her readers ranged from Queen Victoria and Gladstone, to the poorest of shop girls. In all she wrote thirty books, the majority of which were phenomenal best sellers. Despite the fact that her novels were either ignored or belittled by the critics, at the height of her success she was the best selling and most highly paid author in England.
She was the daughter of poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter Charles Mackay. Her brother was the poet Eric Mackay.
In the 1890’s Marie Corelli’s novels were eagerly devoured by millions in England, America and the colonies. Her readers ranged from Queen Victoria and Gladstone, to the poorest of shop girls. In all she wrote thirty books, the majority of which were phenomenal best sellers. Despite the fact that her novels were either ignored or belittled by the critics, at the height of her success she was the best selling and most highly paid author in England.
She was the daughter of poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter Charles Mackay. Her brother was the poet Eric Mackay.
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October 31, 2011
Marie Corelli is one of the most undervalued Victorian authors, yet she was as prolific -- and as popular -- as Dickens in her own time.
Her novels drip with supernaturalism, mesmerism, and science fiction: they're exciting and bizarre. Novels such as Ardath: A Story of a Dead Self, The Sorrows of Satan, or Wormwood have had me teetering on the tip of my old Victorian seat, snatching at the pages, trying to turn them faster.
Perhaps her best work is her first novel, A Romance of Two Worlds. It is, certainly, my favorite due to its synthesis of scintillant sanguinity and macabre fatalism. The tale revolves around an unnamed female hysteric whose musical genius has degenerated due to the malaise of urbanity. Her friends take her abroad to a rustic hotel in Cannes where she meets Raphaello Cellini, a rejuvenated artist who, through the help of Heliobas Casimir – the “physical electrician” – has recovered his creative genius and zest for life.
Casimir implicates the narrator into a world of "human electricity:" the name that Corelli gave the Victorian preoccupation with female conductors of terrestrial force (remember when Jane Eyre hears Rochester calling her from hundreds of miles away?). The unnamed narrator is able to traverse the spirit world -- where she learns the secret of creation and is also able to heal her "hysteria" -- due to her increasingly salubrious body. In the end, she goes on to become the century's most genius musical composer.
Corelli's "electric creed" insists upon two critical changes to how English society imagined women's position. Such a philosophy firstly called into question the definition of hysteria, and secondly offered women a new form of empowerment -- physical -- which rivaled the popular theories of "muscular Christianity" -- popularized by Kingsley and Hughes -- which were centered on men alone.
A healthy and strong body -- particularly the female body -- is the most important component of Corelli's electric creed. The narrator is attributed with physical strength for reasons other than childbearing. In a word, her novel is revolutionary.
In three words: it's my favorite.
Her novels drip with supernaturalism, mesmerism, and science fiction: they're exciting and bizarre. Novels such as Ardath: A Story of a Dead Self, The Sorrows of Satan, or Wormwood have had me teetering on the tip of my old Victorian seat, snatching at the pages, trying to turn them faster.
Perhaps her best work is her first novel, A Romance of Two Worlds. It is, certainly, my favorite due to its synthesis of scintillant sanguinity and macabre fatalism. The tale revolves around an unnamed female hysteric whose musical genius has degenerated due to the malaise of urbanity. Her friends take her abroad to a rustic hotel in Cannes where she meets Raphaello Cellini, a rejuvenated artist who, through the help of Heliobas Casimir – the “physical electrician” – has recovered his creative genius and zest for life.
Casimir implicates the narrator into a world of "human electricity:" the name that Corelli gave the Victorian preoccupation with female conductors of terrestrial force (remember when Jane Eyre hears Rochester calling her from hundreds of miles away?). The unnamed narrator is able to traverse the spirit world -- where she learns the secret of creation and is also able to heal her "hysteria" -- due to her increasingly salubrious body. In the end, she goes on to become the century's most genius musical composer.
Corelli's "electric creed" insists upon two critical changes to how English society imagined women's position. Such a philosophy firstly called into question the definition of hysteria, and secondly offered women a new form of empowerment -- physical -- which rivaled the popular theories of "muscular Christianity" -- popularized by Kingsley and Hughes -- which were centered on men alone.
A healthy and strong body -- particularly the female body -- is the most important component of Corelli's electric creed. The narrator is attributed with physical strength for reasons other than childbearing. In a word, her novel is revolutionary.
In three words: it's my favorite.
May 20, 2011
I read this because I wanted to see what sort of author could outsell Conan Doyle, Wells and Kipling. This was the popular fiction of its time. It was sort of compulsive, and repulsive at the same time. The writing style is appalling - they don't drink, they quaff, they eat viands, not food - the characters are totally unbelievable, and the main premise of the book is tosh. And yet, and yet....I can see why her work was devoured by people whose lives were short on romance. I shan't be rushing to read another - give me Wells, Conan Doyle and Kipling every time - but I'm glad I read it and recommend it if only as a curio.
February 22, 2021
Er... no idea what that was in aid of. Did they have crack-cocaine in 1886? Writing half-decent and some unusual (to say the least) ideas, so 2.5 stars, but gotta round down cos just so pointless.
November 29, 2021
An electric read, but one which is purposefully grounded in the spiritual (or is it?) (It probably is).
March 26, 2014
I almost stopped reading this book when I found it to be so weird, but that is what made it so wonderful. I would never had thought I would have liked a book like this but I did..
March 19, 2021
Cada cosa que ocurre a cada uno de nosotros, trae con ella una lección y un significado, forma un eslabón en la cadena de nuestra existencia. Os parecerá cosa sin importancia, pasar por una determinada calle a una hora también determinada y sin embargo este acto sencillo puede llevaros a un resultado que no imagináis.
No es un buen libro, tiene más de cien años y se nota, sus teorías sobre la electricidad están muy por encima de la excentricidad y sobrepasan de largo el ridículo. Ejemplo:
—La Luna no existe. Lo que vemos es un reflejo electrográfico de lo que fue un día. La electricidad atmosférica ha impreso ese retrato en los cielos, de un mundo que existió hace mucho tiempo, lo mismo que Rafael pintó sus cuadros para que los vieran los hombres de hoy día.
Lo peor sin duda es la pesada insistencia de que el cristianismo es no sólo la mejor opción religiosa sino la única posible, con hincapié en sus bondades y glorias. El proselitismo es manifiesto y ofensivo, sólo para creyentes convencidos.
No ayuda tampoco la traducción, viejuna y confusa, y eso que no soy dado a diferenciar entre un buen trabajo de traducción de otro. Hete aquí un ejemplo:
Como este mundo nuestro de vueltas en su propia luz, alejándose poco a poco del anillo Radiante, hasta cuando su Sol empezó a ser reabsorbido y la Luna desapareció, para convertirse en una simple imagen;
A destacar la capacidad de la autora de crear escenas intrigantes y opresivas en un par de escenas: en la habitación del pintor donde se oculta un misterioso cuadro y cuando estalla la tormenta en casa de Heliobas. También se intuye una relación de lesbianismo entre Sara y la protagonista, cuando esta última detalla minuciosamente cada detalle, pliegue y repliegue del cuerpo de su amiga; asimismo sorprende la manifiesta sensualidad de los ángeles. (3/10)
January 5, 2023
“A brilliant glare of light flashed suddenly upon our vision. The heavens seemed torn open from end to end, and a broad lake of pale blue fire lay quivering in the heart of the mountainous black clouds-for a second only. An on-rushing, ever-increasing, rattling roar of thunder ensued, that seemed to shake the very earth, and all was again darkness.”
This felt like a dense fever dream. I was introduced to this text through my Fin de Siécle module tutor and the way they pitched the premise to me as an amalgamation of chaos, religion and astral-projection sold me. I can understand why, at the time of publication, this outsold Conan-Doyle and Dickens; Corelli weaves theosophy into a blanket of rich and decadent imagery that was delicious to read. It was fascinating how Corelli redefined Christ’s ‘sacrifice’ as ‘communion’ with the Godhead and pushed the theory of the electric principle of christianity, unifying notions of religion, science and spirituality. However, despite the gorgeous language that furnished this work, I did find it incredibly repetitive and slow going (It definitely didn’t help that the writing in my edition had a tiny font that packed two pages in one).
This felt like a dense fever dream. I was introduced to this text through my Fin de Siécle module tutor and the way they pitched the premise to me as an amalgamation of chaos, religion and astral-projection sold me. I can understand why, at the time of publication, this outsold Conan-Doyle and Dickens; Corelli weaves theosophy into a blanket of rich and decadent imagery that was delicious to read. It was fascinating how Corelli redefined Christ’s ‘sacrifice’ as ‘communion’ with the Godhead and pushed the theory of the electric principle of christianity, unifying notions of religion, science and spirituality. However, despite the gorgeous language that furnished this work, I did find it incredibly repetitive and slow going (It definitely didn’t help that the writing in my edition had a tiny font that packed two pages in one).
June 22, 2018
This book provides you with so much to think about, your mind will be racing for the duration of each chapter.
The obvious thing you'll be thinking about is the story as presented: a musician goes abroad in an attempt to rest and recover from depression and illness. There, she meets a mystical doctor who claims he can heal her physically and spiritually. It's a fascinating science fiction story that ends in a sort of philosophical and theological climax in the same way that, say, Stranger in a Strange Land or 2001 do. It's a good story, with a touch of mystery and a mattering of character drama.
But around the story is a hovering obsession with religion and existential angst. The author clearly put a lot of thought into the philosophy of her story, and has her own unique reinterpretation of Christianity, which she attributes to the fictional doctor in the book. But the author obviously truly believes what she's writing about, because in an appendix in the edition that I read are letters to the author from fans who thank her for, basically, enlightenment.
And still there's more going on in the book. It was written during a time when electricity had just come into semi-regular use, after the trans-Atlantic telegraph cable had been run. You can sense the excitement and optimism in the science fiction; electricity is a mystical force of the world that connects the physical plane with the spiritual one, and science puts everything past and present into perspective. The author's fascination for this up-and-coming technology is both infectious and uncomfortable, because you want her to be right about there being a bright future for humanity, but you are a reader literally from her future, so you know how it actually turns out.
The Victorian setting makes the story a sociologically interesting, too. Getting the world view from a female Victorian artist is fascinating. It's enthralling to read about how she sees her place in the world, and the way she feels other sees her and her gender, and what she wants to achieve, and what she wants to do with her life, and her insecurities and doubts, and the strength she finds within herself. It's honestly one of the most feminist stories I've ever read, and it's progressive feminism: the kind that doesn't want to mimic the world of men, but rejects it and seeks to reform it.
There's even more to discover in this book, but I can't mention everything without venturing into spoilers. If you like early SF, this is worth a read.
The obvious thing you'll be thinking about is the story as presented: a musician goes abroad in an attempt to rest and recover from depression and illness. There, she meets a mystical doctor who claims he can heal her physically and spiritually. It's a fascinating science fiction story that ends in a sort of philosophical and theological climax in the same way that, say, Stranger in a Strange Land or 2001 do. It's a good story, with a touch of mystery and a mattering of character drama.
But around the story is a hovering obsession with religion and existential angst. The author clearly put a lot of thought into the philosophy of her story, and has her own unique reinterpretation of Christianity, which she attributes to the fictional doctor in the book. But the author obviously truly believes what she's writing about, because in an appendix in the edition that I read are letters to the author from fans who thank her for, basically, enlightenment.
And still there's more going on in the book. It was written during a time when electricity had just come into semi-regular use, after the trans-Atlantic telegraph cable had been run. You can sense the excitement and optimism in the science fiction; electricity is a mystical force of the world that connects the physical plane with the spiritual one, and science puts everything past and present into perspective. The author's fascination for this up-and-coming technology is both infectious and uncomfortable, because you want her to be right about there being a bright future for humanity, but you are a reader literally from her future, so you know how it actually turns out.
The Victorian setting makes the story a sociologically interesting, too. Getting the world view from a female Victorian artist is fascinating. It's enthralling to read about how she sees her place in the world, and the way she feels other sees her and her gender, and what she wants to achieve, and what she wants to do with her life, and her insecurities and doubts, and the strength she finds within herself. It's honestly one of the most feminist stories I've ever read, and it's progressive feminism: the kind that doesn't want to mimic the world of men, but rejects it and seeks to reform it.
There's even more to discover in this book, but I can't mention everything without venturing into spoilers. If you like early SF, this is worth a read.
October 1, 2017
I had not heard of Marie Corelli until reading Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, where Francie is looking forward to reading Corelli but has not yet read to the "C" of the library books. So I decided on Marie Corelli's first book to start, "A Romance of Two Worlds" since I been reading first books by different authors this year. I read the Delphi collection of her works, not this edition. I had no idea what to expect but a brief introduction gave me a little idea and so I began with a hope of some romance but as I read I noticed this was not the usual kind but much deeper. This is a romance with God, heaven and our twine soul. Colleri had originally wanted to call her novel "Lifted Up", which to me seemed the perfect title since after reading I felt uplifted. In a modern world where they try hard to erase God in many ways and a Godless world is all around us in so many arenas of society, I needed to read this spiritual gem of a story. I wonder what Colleri would say of modern times compared to doubting era of her times. Somethings are science fiction but all in all her messages of God and heaven and life had such clarity to me. The main female character remains nameless to the very end. I saw in Wikipedia, her being in a monastery at the end but re_reading the very ending several times it was not the case. There is a passage where Heliobas sees her in the future and this was not the case. Her life being in progress and not ended at the end, so I used my imagination to have the ending I found quite possible.
September 26, 2023
wow... said with such a lack of enthusiasm. once again I was left feeling numb and so much worse than when I started. there were some interesting elements but after page 100 my vision was blurring. I'm glad it's over.
August 12, 2024
I have never heard of Marie Corelli, but during her lifetime, she managed to outsell Charles Dickens. This was recommended to me, and while I am glad I read it, it was just okay. It is definitely a byproduct of its day, but it scratched the Gothic itch I had.
November 9, 2018
An interesting enough story, some unique ideas, but a strong, singularly Christian viewpoint that hinders some of the universal spiritual appeal of the story.
August 13, 2015
What a spiritual journey! I loved it ,the musician who aspires to reach the highest of spirituality ,her journey of discovering the truth is inspiring and transforming
It's truly a romance of two worlds ,the materialistic world and the spiritual one
This novel is too long yet enjoyable and would appeal to anyone who loves and interested in spirituality
The beginning is a little boring though but once i get to the part when she meets her twin soul,who helped her heal and reach the highest of spirituality ,it gets really interesting .she talks about electricity as force inside our bodies (the spirit) that can transform us and make us reach our highest potential or what we know today as Energy!
Also the story is written with the intention of clarifying many views on Religion (Christianity in particular)
Here's Quote by the author at the end of the book
“Once more I may repeat that the idea of a sacrifice to appease God's anger is purely JEWISH, and has nothing whatever to do with Christianity according to Christ. He Himself says, "I am the WAY, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh to the Father but BY ME." Surely these words are plain enough, and point unmistakably to a MEANS OF COMMUNICATION through Christ between the Creator and this world. Nowhere does the Divine Master say that God is so furiously angry that he must have the bleeding body of his own messenger, Christ, hung up before Him as a human sacrifice, as though He could only be pacified by the scent of blood! Horrible and profane idea! and one utterly at variance with the tenderness and goodness of "Our Father" as pictured by Christ in these gentle words—"Fear not, little flock; it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." Whereas that Christ should come to draw us closer to God by the strong force of His own Divinity, and by His Resurrection prove to us the reality of the next life, is not at all a strange or ungodlike mission, and ought “to make us understand more surely than ever how infinitely pitying and forbearing is the All-Loving One, that He should, as it were, with such extreme affection show us a way by which to travel through darkness unto light. To those who cannot see this perfection of goodness depicted in Christ's own words, I would say in the terse Oriental maxim:
"Diving, and finding no pearls in the sea,
Blame not the ocean, the fault is in THEE.”
There's also her interesting spiritual views on God and the essence of soul
“You are aware," he went on, "of my theories respecting the Electric Spirit or Soul in Man. It is progressive, as I have told you—it begins as a germ—it goes on increasing in power and beauty for ever, till it is great and pure enough to enter the last of all worlds—God's World. But there are sometimes hindrances to its progression—obstacles in its path, which cause it to recoil and retire a long way back—so far back occasionally that it has to commence its journey over again.”
“From all Eternity God, or the SUPREME SPIRIT OF LIGHT, existed, and to all Eternity He will continue to exist. This is plainly stated in the New Testament thus: 'God is a SPIRIT, and they that worship Him must worship Him IN SPIRIT and in truth.”
“As a poet forms poems, or a musician melodies, so God formed by a Thought the Vast Central Sphere in which He dwells, and peopled it with the pure creations of His glorious fancy. And why? Because, being pure Light, He is also pure Love; the power or capacity of Love implies the necessity of Loving; the necessity of loving points to the existence of things to be loved—hence the secret of creation. From the ever-working Intelligence of this Divine Love proceeded the Electric Circle of the Universe, from whence are born all worlds.”
It's truly a romance of two worlds ,the materialistic world and the spiritual one
This novel is too long yet enjoyable and would appeal to anyone who loves and interested in spirituality
The beginning is a little boring though but once i get to the part when she meets her twin soul,who helped her heal and reach the highest of spirituality ,it gets really interesting .she talks about electricity as force inside our bodies (the spirit) that can transform us and make us reach our highest potential or what we know today as Energy!
Also the story is written with the intention of clarifying many views on Religion (Christianity in particular)
Here's Quote by the author at the end of the book
“Once more I may repeat that the idea of a sacrifice to appease God's anger is purely JEWISH, and has nothing whatever to do with Christianity according to Christ. He Himself says, "I am the WAY, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh to the Father but BY ME." Surely these words are plain enough, and point unmistakably to a MEANS OF COMMUNICATION through Christ between the Creator and this world. Nowhere does the Divine Master say that God is so furiously angry that he must have the bleeding body of his own messenger, Christ, hung up before Him as a human sacrifice, as though He could only be pacified by the scent of blood! Horrible and profane idea! and one utterly at variance with the tenderness and goodness of "Our Father" as pictured by Christ in these gentle words—"Fear not, little flock; it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." Whereas that Christ should come to draw us closer to God by the strong force of His own Divinity, and by His Resurrection prove to us the reality of the next life, is not at all a strange or ungodlike mission, and ought “to make us understand more surely than ever how infinitely pitying and forbearing is the All-Loving One, that He should, as it were, with such extreme affection show us a way by which to travel through darkness unto light. To those who cannot see this perfection of goodness depicted in Christ's own words, I would say in the terse Oriental maxim:
"Diving, and finding no pearls in the sea,
Blame not the ocean, the fault is in THEE.”
There's also her interesting spiritual views on God and the essence of soul
“You are aware," he went on, "of my theories respecting the Electric Spirit or Soul in Man. It is progressive, as I have told you—it begins as a germ—it goes on increasing in power and beauty for ever, till it is great and pure enough to enter the last of all worlds—God's World. But there are sometimes hindrances to its progression—obstacles in its path, which cause it to recoil and retire a long way back—so far back occasionally that it has to commence its journey over again.”
“From all Eternity God, or the SUPREME SPIRIT OF LIGHT, existed, and to all Eternity He will continue to exist. This is plainly stated in the New Testament thus: 'God is a SPIRIT, and they that worship Him must worship Him IN SPIRIT and in truth.”
“As a poet forms poems, or a musician melodies, so God formed by a Thought the Vast Central Sphere in which He dwells, and peopled it with the pure creations of His glorious fancy. And why? Because, being pure Light, He is also pure Love; the power or capacity of Love implies the necessity of Loving; the necessity of loving points to the existence of things to be loved—hence the secret of creation. From the ever-working Intelligence of this Divine Love proceeded the Electric Circle of the Universe, from whence are born all worlds.”
January 16, 2023
We named this one of the Most Fun Reads of 2022 over on Literary Transgressions! https://literarytransgressions.wordpr...
March 10, 2025
2025 UPDATE: gahhhhh. I still love this book, but it will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea (long sections detailing various characters' philosophies of religion). Corelli subverts the Victorian romance in very fun ways.
****
This is a dreamy book: a visionary work by a writer who was one of the most popular of her time (Victorian-World War II) in England, but whose legacy has not been given parity with her contemporaries of the time.
I first encountered Marie Corelli (birth name Mary Mackay) listening to the podcast Victorian Scribblers, which features lesser-known voices of the Victorian era, and was intrigued by this disconnect between her popularity at the time and absence from critical discourse.
****
This is a dreamy book: a visionary work by a writer who was one of the most popular of her time (Victorian-World War II) in England, but whose legacy has not been given parity with her contemporaries of the time.
I first encountered Marie Corelli (birth name Mary Mackay) listening to the podcast Victorian Scribblers, which features lesser-known voices of the Victorian era, and was intrigued by this disconnect between her popularity at the time and absence from critical discourse.
did-not-finish
June 16, 2012I am trying to get better at putting down books that I really dislike. After reading 40% of A Romance of Two Worlds, I can say that it fits within this category.
The book reminded me of a cross between The Celestine Prophesy and Twilight. It is rife with Victorian-era New Age mysticism and for some reason all of the near-celestial supercharged beings in the book are magnetically drawn to the fairly ordinary protagonist. (Except that she's not really like the rest of her pathetic, simpering sex... a lot of internalized misogyny in this one too.)
Ugh. Not worth it for me.
The book reminded me of a cross between The Celestine Prophesy and Twilight. It is rife with Victorian-era New Age mysticism and for some reason all of the near-celestial supercharged beings in the book are magnetically drawn to the fairly ordinary protagonist. (Except that she's not really like the rest of her pathetic, simpering sex... a lot of internalized misogyny in this one too.)
Ugh. Not worth it for me.
October 18, 2008
Lucid and languorous, this book will instill faith in the faithless, and fortify already enhanced souls...It's not one to miss for followers of the Cult and Esoteric teachings.
August 10, 2023
I had a history professor who assigned popular books, rather than classics, from the periods we studied to better understand the times. These books, which may lack much literary value, nevertheless, illuminated a lot about an age--the clothes, decorations, food, weather, and general concerns of the society, undistracted by art. Such is the work of Marie Corelli, Late-Victorian England’s best-selling author. Her books combine the themes of her age: Spiritualism, Decadence, women’s rights, revolutions in science, and Anglo-Catholicism. Her writing is sentimental and overwrought; her ideas are silly. She preaches a Christian Theosophy that is as dated as it is philosophically weak. But with all that said, her books can be very entertaining. This book is about a female musician who suffers from a “nervous” illness and is cured by a mysterious Chaldean healer, Heliobas, by using human “electricity.” Corelli was a narcissist, and, by all accounts, insufferable. This comes across frequently in this book, where her trite poetry is described by her characters as “genius,” and her conception of the solar system populated by people of various spiritual virtues is ridiculous, even for her time. She dismisses the works of much greater talents, like Tennyson and Chopin, and frequently uses unnecessary (and probably inaccurate) quotes in French, Italian, and Latin. Still, the book mostly moves along at a fast pace (if you skip over her New Age retelling of the New Testament!), and is a guilty pleasure in parts. Despite their readability, Corelli’s works are rightfully confined to the dustbin of literature, especially when you place them next to Dracula, The Picture of Dorian Gray, or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—three of her contemporary’s’ late-Victorian gothic masterpieces. She outsold them all, but ended up a laughing stock (AE Benson used her as the model for his Lucia series) by those who came after her.
Read
April 26, 2020This story follows the narrator (presumed to be Corelli), a young depressed girl who is sent on a relaxing holiday to Cannes where she meets an Italian mystic who offers her a mysterious elixir that begins to awaken her spiritual essence. It causes her to have vivid dreams in which she meets her guardian angel who reveals to her the secrets of the universe. She is then sent to visit a Chaldean physician in Paris, her spiritual teacher, who guides her through her awakening process. He gives her several different elixirs, which help to shed her depressed state and open her awareness to the true workings of the cosmos and ultimately human destiny.
I didn't know what to expect with reading this book but it spoke directly to a part of me that has been both privately nurtured and turned towards the light for several years. This is ultimately a story about a dark night of the soul and the spiritual awakening that ensues when one can surrender their will to a greater purpose and desire.
For most, it can be read as a science fiction tale, but for those adept in the occult, this is a book constellated with hermetic thoughts, philosophies, and symbolism. The 19th century produced many books brimming with science and mysticism, but this book caught the light in a more meaningful and authentic way.
A book should be able to illuminate those parts of yourself you resonate the most with in the story and after reading 'A Romance of Two Worlds' I have been imbued with a greater numinous understanding of my own experiences that, like the narrator, made me forget who I thought I was and remember who I am destined to become.
I must now read everything by Marie Corelli...
I didn't know what to expect with reading this book but it spoke directly to a part of me that has been both privately nurtured and turned towards the light for several years. This is ultimately a story about a dark night of the soul and the spiritual awakening that ensues when one can surrender their will to a greater purpose and desire.
For most, it can be read as a science fiction tale, but for those adept in the occult, this is a book constellated with hermetic thoughts, philosophies, and symbolism. The 19th century produced many books brimming with science and mysticism, but this book caught the light in a more meaningful and authentic way.
A book should be able to illuminate those parts of yourself you resonate the most with in the story and after reading 'A Romance of Two Worlds' I have been imbued with a greater numinous understanding of my own experiences that, like the narrator, made me forget who I thought I was and remember who I am destined to become.
I must now read everything by Marie Corelli...
August 17, 2023
3,5 molto probabilmente a Marie piaceva "La Divina Commedia", per quanto le piace fare ff self insert religiose.
Oltre a una parte molto sessista all'inizio (e la concezione che le uniche donne "buone" e "illuminate" siano le protagoniste e tipo una sola loro amica) e a una cristianità a livelli mega galattici, la storia era abbastanza interessante e scorrevole.
L'idea di Dio che è solo amore, della distruzione del mondo che porta alla sua creazione, del non temere la morte perché il Paradiso aspetta, tutto questo è abbastanza dolce da leggere, ignorando il fatto che sono sicura Marie abbia commesso almeno un hate crime religioso nella sua vita. Il fatto che Dio e la cristianità siano le uniche vie possibili parla da solo.
Ma per quei tempi va bene, diciamo.
Il rapporto con Zara è stato sicuramente qualcosa. Il fatto che né lei né la protagonista si siano mai sposate o abbiano mostrato interesse per persone del sesso opposto è auto esplicativo.
Capisco la spiegazione di "l'anima gemella di Zara era una angelo e anche io aspetto la mia anima gemella per sposarmi", ma quando vedi questo e sai che Marie non si è mai sposata e ha convissuto fino alla morte con una sua cara "amica" (e le due sono sepolte vicine), allora è chiaro che Saffo ci ha messo lo zampino.
Per tutte le volte che le due si baciano (e viene fatto capire più volte che accade sulla bocca), io concludo che sono lesbiche. Slay.
Lo consiglierei? Molto molto religioso, ma sì. L'omosessualità vince su tutto. E soprattutto è corto e abbastanza scorrevole.
Oltre a una parte molto sessista all'inizio (e la concezione che le uniche donne "buone" e "illuminate" siano le protagoniste e tipo una sola loro amica) e a una cristianità a livelli mega galattici, la storia era abbastanza interessante e scorrevole.
L'idea di Dio che è solo amore, della distruzione del mondo che porta alla sua creazione, del non temere la morte perché il Paradiso aspetta, tutto questo è abbastanza dolce da leggere, ignorando il fatto che sono sicura Marie abbia commesso almeno un hate crime religioso nella sua vita. Il fatto che Dio e la cristianità siano le uniche vie possibili parla da solo.
Ma per quei tempi va bene, diciamo.
Il rapporto con Zara è stato sicuramente qualcosa. Il fatto che né lei né la protagonista si siano mai sposate o abbiano mostrato interesse per persone del sesso opposto è auto esplicativo.
Capisco la spiegazione di "l'anima gemella di Zara era una angelo e anche io aspetto la mia anima gemella per sposarmi", ma quando vedi questo e sai che Marie non si è mai sposata e ha convissuto fino alla morte con una sua cara "amica" (e le due sono sepolte vicine), allora è chiaro che Saffo ci ha messo lo zampino.
Per tutte le volte che le due si baciano (e viene fatto capire più volte che accade sulla bocca), io concludo che sono lesbiche. Slay.
Lo consiglierei? Molto molto religioso, ma sì. L'omosessualità vince su tutto. E soprattutto è corto e abbastanza scorrevole.
May 5, 2019
A romance of two worlds - the material and the spiritual. This book explores the balancing of both worlds and hints at what the ideal human could be in the proper exertion of his spiritual abilities.
I was intrigued; the intimacy of her description of worlds that lay beyond space and time and also with entities that exist thereof almost made me question if this is truly a work of fiction. Her ideas about Christianity are interesting though they are more religious than universal. I feel very grateful to have come across it. As optimistic as it may sound, it was like a fresh breeze, clearing the fog as to what ideal humanity could be.
I was intrigued; the intimacy of her description of worlds that lay beyond space and time and also with entities that exist thereof almost made me question if this is truly a work of fiction. Her ideas about Christianity are interesting though they are more religious than universal. I feel very grateful to have come across it. As optimistic as it may sound, it was like a fresh breeze, clearing the fog as to what ideal humanity could be.
December 4, 2018
2.75 stars (ok)
I liked the author's creativity and courage in developing a unique plot through which she could introduce and explore concepts of spirituality and religion (a groundbreaking endeavor for her time), and I thought her prose was fluid and eloquent throughout. However, at times I felt the story dove too deeply, or floated too long, in dream and spiritual realms and, as a result, lost too much of its grounding to its real-world storyline to maintain continued interest.
I liked the author's creativity and courage in developing a unique plot through which she could introduce and explore concepts of spirituality and religion (a groundbreaking endeavor for her time), and I thought her prose was fluid and eloquent throughout. However, at times I felt the story dove too deeply, or floated too long, in dream and spiritual realms and, as a result, lost too much of its grounding to its real-world storyline to maintain continued interest.
March 20, 2021
pretty all over the place, though never really comes together. lots of weird stuff that keeps it from becoming boring, and aside from a few paragraphs at the end, never really devolves into preachy polemics. there are some major undercurrents of social conservatism, which are strangely balanced with a strong lesbian subtext
May 4, 2024
Just thinking of this book warns my heart. Marie Corelli was quite young when she wrote A Romance of Two Worlds, yet it is so reach with the wisdom of beauty and the beauty of wisdom. I purchased a very old copy of this book which remains a treasure in my dwindled collection. Life Everlasting , also by Corelli, is a read I recommend as well.
January 31, 2019
If I had to sum up A Romance of Two Worlds in one word, it would be arrogance. There is a vast realm of lost knowledge related to the mystical properties of electricity, but you're not Christian enough to know about it, oh no. Both the unnamed Author Avatar protagonist and her mentor Heliobas frequently stop to lecture on the amorality and fallen state of contemporary (1880s) society, treating us to the spectacle of wealthy people complaining about how all anyone ever does is chase after money. Heliobas in particular comes across as That Fedora Guy we've all encountered on Reddit.
Now Corelli was an early proponent of what we would call the New Age movement, and, looking back after decades of cults and gurus, there is a lot about Heliobas's character that raises red flags. He claims to have all the answers to life's Big Questions if only you follow him; he deliberately isolates a vulnerable woman from her friends and family; he is viewed as infallible by this same woman, who blindly lets him administer mysterious potions to her (thankfully not made with Flavor Aid and cyanide); he isolates his middle-aged sister as well, claiming the protagonist is the only female companion he's found suitable for her (he holds quite a few misogynistic beliefs); and, most alarmingly, he outright condemns critical thinking and rationality as symptoms of dangerous atheism and human fickleness. Both the protagonist and Heliobas are also laughably elitist, loudly proclaiming their Christian values yet unthinkingly lording it over household domestics and failing to recognize how their wealth affords them this exalted lifestyle dedicated solely to artistic and spiritual pursuits. Corelli, through her avatar, explicitly links artistic talent to Christian virtue. True artists have a unique connection to God, you see, that allows His forces of love and creation to flow through them. This means the world just doesn't appreciate them and only likes derivative losers, because fuck those people who need to make a living.
/rant
You're probably wondering why I gave this book four stars. Well, it is a compelling story, at least in audiobook form. Marie Corelli was basically the Dan Brown of her day, known for novels inspired by esoteric lore that were wildly popular despite negative critical reception. Her wacky ideas about electricity were actually reflected in contemporary physics, which believed that an otherworldly ether filled all space and was necessary for electrical and wave transmission. At the time of her book, this was developing into the concept of the spatial fourth dimension, which also has its roots in the theosophical and occult trends of the era. For all Corelli's self-righteous Christian blather, many of these mystical thinkers, such as Claude Bragdon and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, drew extensively on Eastern and ancient pagan beliefs for their perception of another level of reality which serves as an heavenly well for artistic inspiration. (See Linda Dalrymple Henderson's essay in Claude Bragdon & the Beautiful Necessity .)
Ironically, for all her own self-professed devotion to the highest Art, it seems like the critics were right, as Corelli has since fallen into obscurity, while Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, and Rudyard Kipling - all of whom she outsold in their lifetime - are still household names.
Some side notes: Corelli is said to have been a lesbian, which the relationship between the protagonist and Zara would seem to support. While the Victorians did describe strong friendships in language that to us sounds romantic, Zara's disembodied soul-lover prevents the protagonist from kissing her while she's asleep, so there's that. Corelli also blatantly (and hilariously) pimps out her brother's shitty poetry, specifically Love Letters of a Violinist and Other Poems and Pygmalion in Cyprus, and Other Poems , even giving the publication info for one in the form of a footnote. He repaid her by with public defamation and claims that he was the real author of her books.
If A Romance of Two Worlds still sounds insufferable to you, let me recommend Stella Fregelius: A Tale of Three Destinies (1901) instead. It has similar themes of the beauty and majesty of the immortal afterlife versus the crude clay of the doomed body. Basically the Christian reworking of the Platonic ideal. Not surprisingly, Corelli and Haggard were mutual admirers of each other's work, so there may have been some influence there. But enlightened Stella is a much nicer, more sympathetic character than Heliobas and not!Corelli.
Now Corelli was an early proponent of what we would call the New Age movement, and, looking back after decades of cults and gurus, there is a lot about Heliobas's character that raises red flags. He claims to have all the answers to life's Big Questions if only you follow him; he deliberately isolates a vulnerable woman from her friends and family; he is viewed as infallible by this same woman, who blindly lets him administer mysterious potions to her (thankfully not made with Flavor Aid and cyanide); he isolates his middle-aged sister as well, claiming the protagonist is the only female companion he's found suitable for her (he holds quite a few misogynistic beliefs); and, most alarmingly, he outright condemns critical thinking and rationality as symptoms of dangerous atheism and human fickleness. Both the protagonist and Heliobas are also laughably elitist, loudly proclaiming their Christian values yet unthinkingly lording it over household domestics and failing to recognize how their wealth affords them this exalted lifestyle dedicated solely to artistic and spiritual pursuits. Corelli, through her avatar, explicitly links artistic talent to Christian virtue. True artists have a unique connection to God, you see, that allows His forces of love and creation to flow through them. This means the world just doesn't appreciate them and only likes derivative losers, because fuck those people who need to make a living.
/rant
You're probably wondering why I gave this book four stars. Well, it is a compelling story, at least in audiobook form. Marie Corelli was basically the Dan Brown of her day, known for novels inspired by esoteric lore that were wildly popular despite negative critical reception. Her wacky ideas about electricity were actually reflected in contemporary physics, which believed that an otherworldly ether filled all space and was necessary for electrical and wave transmission. At the time of her book, this was developing into the concept of the spatial fourth dimension, which also has its roots in the theosophical and occult trends of the era. For all Corelli's self-righteous Christian blather, many of these mystical thinkers, such as Claude Bragdon and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, drew extensively on Eastern and ancient pagan beliefs for their perception of another level of reality which serves as an heavenly well for artistic inspiration. (See Linda Dalrymple Henderson's essay in Claude Bragdon & the Beautiful Necessity .)
Ironically, for all her own self-professed devotion to the highest Art, it seems like the critics were right, as Corelli has since fallen into obscurity, while Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, and Rudyard Kipling - all of whom she outsold in their lifetime - are still household names.
Some side notes: Corelli is said to have been a lesbian, which the relationship between the protagonist and Zara would seem to support. While the Victorians did describe strong friendships in language that to us sounds romantic, Zara's disembodied soul-lover prevents the protagonist from kissing her while she's asleep, so there's that. Corelli also blatantly (and hilariously) pimps out her brother's shitty poetry, specifically Love Letters of a Violinist and Other Poems and Pygmalion in Cyprus, and Other Poems , even giving the publication info for one in the form of a footnote. He repaid her by with public defamation and claims that he was the real author of her books.
If A Romance of Two Worlds still sounds insufferable to you, let me recommend Stella Fregelius: A Tale of Three Destinies (1901) instead. It has similar themes of the beauty and majesty of the immortal afterlife versus the crude clay of the doomed body. Basically the Christian reworking of the Platonic ideal. Not surprisingly, Corelli and Haggard were mutual admirers of each other's work, so there may have been some influence there. But enlightened Stella is a much nicer, more sympathetic character than Heliobas and not!Corelli.
October 8, 2021
what the fuckkkkkkkkkk is really all that could be said about this book. Every time I thought I knew where this was going, it was another insane plot twist and huh??
Although pretty good low-key lesbian representation for a book from the 1800s.
Although pretty good low-key lesbian representation for a book from the 1800s.
September 26, 2023
Um. Not good in my opinion. It felt like both propaganda and a critique of religion. Want to co-write a fanfic with Major for Zara and the MC because they be kissing and caressing each other but not macking. read for engl 655.
September 10, 2021
Jaunoji pianistė, serga sunkia liga ir prie visa to serga depresija, su draugais atvyksta į Italija. Ši išvyka jai pakeis gyvenimą ir gražins gyvenimo džiaugsmą.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2023
A lovely story with a fantastic theme, way ahead of its time.
August 14, 2024
Una historia diferente, cayendo en lo extraño. El equivalente a las canciones cristianas en literatura.
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