The Ashgate Research Companion to Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism and the Occult

by Tatiana Kontou, Sarah Willburn

Critical attention to the Victorian supernatural has flourished over the last twenty-five years. Whether it is spiritualism or Theosophy, mesmerism or the occult, the dozens of book-length studies and hundreds of articles that have appeared recently reflect the avid scholarly discussion of Victorian mystical practices. Designed both for those new to the field and for experts, this volume is organized into sections covering the relationship between Victorian spiritualism and science, the occult and politics, and the culture of mystical practices. The Ashgate Research Companion to Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism and the Occult brings together some of the most prominent scholars working in the field to introduce current approaches to the study of nineteenth-century mysticism and to define new areas for research.

Genres: Academic, Religion

456 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather dry and heavy-handed essay collection exploring various aspects of Victorian spiritualism, largely focussing on North American trends. This lengthy collection brings in extensive discussion of various aspects of popular spiritualist belief and practice, providing a broad overview of a wide range of varied facets related to the title. Thus individual essays look at authorship, posthumanism, food and laughter, the James brothers, and spirit photography and drawing. An introductory exploration of recent scholarship in the field is of good practical use, although I found the literary analysis less appetising.

[M.k. Yost · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really hoping that this would be a little more useful, and it felt like a few subjects weren't well touched on (like telepathy).

[Mills College Library]

133.90903 A8258 2012