Spirits, Seers & Séances: Victorian Spiritualism, Magic & the Supernatural -- Steele Alexandra Douris, Paperback

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.

Author: Steele Alexandra Douris
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
Published: 09/08/2023
Pages: 226
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780738774619

About the Author

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.