Possessed Victorians: Extra Spheres in Nineteenth-Century Mystical Writings / Edition 1

by Sarah A. Willburn

Overview

Drawing upon extensive archival work in the British Library, Sarah Willburn analyzes séance accounts, novels about mediumship, and metaphysical treatises to formulate a new conception of individualism that offers a fresh look at Victorian subjectivity. She presents the theories of compelling characters such as Newton Crosland and Lois Waisbrooker and provides exciting new readings of well-known texts by Charlotte Brontë, Eliot, Martineau, and Corelli.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780754655404
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/15/2006
Series:	The Nineteenth Century Series
Pages:	182
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sarah A. Willburn is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, USA.

Table of Contents

Contents: List of figures; Acknowledgements; Introduction. Part One Possessed Individualism: Possessed individualism in George Eliot's Daniel Deronda. Part Two Extra Spheres: Worlds apart: invisible culture and extra spheres. Part Three Subjectivity Reconfigured: Tables with contents; Rethinking interiority through 19th-century trance novels. Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'This fascinating study opens up the meanings of the word "possession" in Victorian culture to account for phenomena as seemingly diverse as the subtle dynamics of Daniel Deronda and an ornery walking talking séance table named Mary Jane. Willburn makes convincing connections between Victorian mystical culture and the influential economic concept of possessive individualism, making this book an exciting contribution to the growing literature on the Victorians’ ongoing fascination with the supernatural.' Pamela Thurschwell, University College London, UK 'Highly recommended.’ Choice ’... lively and important study... Willburn provides a fascinating overview of the little-known genre of 'trance novels'... this monograph provides erudite and engaging analyses of a wide range of materials and is a major contribution to the burgeoning scholarship on relationships between mysticism and Victorian culture.’ Review of English Studies ’After an introduction that provides a substantial, useful overview of recent scholarship on spiritualism, Willburn offers a sustained reading of Eliot's Daniel Deronda before taking up spiritualist narratives, theories and practices, including - in a fascinating chapter - those associated with supposedly possessed articles of furniture, specifically tables.’ Brontë Studies

From the Publisher