The Magical Imagination

Bell, Karl

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511740107

Cited by 65 publications

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“…68 The theme could also be found more widely in reviews of conjuring shows that remarked how, if such illusions had been performed in the past, the magician would have been burnt at the stake. 69 It was in this context of a narrative of progress that the earliest histories of conjuring emerged, which repeated similar themes as they contrasted the magic of past and present.…”

Section: The Persistence Of the Mythmentioning

confidence: 86%

Modern Magic, the Illusion of Transformation, and How It Was Done

Lamont¹

2016

Journal of Social History

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In 1584, Reginald Scot claimed that jugglers who performed magic tricks were mistaken for witches. The claim was repeated, and later became the basis of the Victorian idea of "modern magic." According to stage conjurors and writers on magic, "modern magic" was magic that was (now) understood to be an illusion. The claim continued to be repeated by amateur historians of magic, who reinforced this idea of "modern magic" by citing cases of early modern jugglers who were persecuted as witches. In recent years, "modern magic," as a distinctly modern form of magic that was understood to be an illusion, has become part of modern cultural history. The view that magic tricks were mistaken for witchcraft, however, is not to be found in the historiography of the early modern period. Indeed, it is a myth. When one examines how magic tricks and witchcraft were compared, one sees that there was a clear distinction made between the two. Nevertheless, despite the lack of evidence, the myth continued to survive. It was used to justify the exposure of secrets, enhanced Victorian conjurors' respectability, and it fitted neatly within the modern narrative of rational progress. It persisted due to the uncritical reading of sources by some historians, whose examples of persecution were the result of misinterpretation. Thus, "modern magic," as a form of magic that was understood to be an illusion, was not a particularly modern phenomenon. Indeed, despite some changes in how magic was experienced, early modern views of magic were remarkably similar to modern ones.

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Section: The Persistence Of the Mythmentioning

confidence: 86%

Modern Magic, the Illusion of Transformation, and How It Was Done

Lamont¹

2016

Journal of Social History

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“…As an activity that typically aims to stage what is regarded as improbable or impossible, entertainment magic has long been recognised as interwoven with the cultural beliefs of its day (Bell 2012;Lamont 2013;Smith 2015). 'Modern conjurors' marshal what is widely held to be the case (and what is not) in order to astound.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Magic of Social Life Online Topics and Resources

Rappert

2021

Journal of Performance Magic

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Theglobal COVID-19 pandemic has compelled magicians to reconsider how they engage audiences.  The pivot to online delivery platforms hasserved as yet another occasion in the history of this art form to consider longrunning questions about its aims and means. This articleelaborates the reasoning behind one effort to produce an online, Zoom-basedresource prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic; namely a series of interactiverecorded performances titled The Magic ofSocial Life. It does so in two parts: (i) outlining the rationale for aform of academic magic that seeks to turn commonplace social practices andconventions into topics for discussion, and (ii) elaborating how this form ofmagic was adopted to promote reflection on technologically mediated forms ofsocial interaction.  Through examiningthe choices and commitments associated with both parts, this article considersthe possibilities for how magic can function as method for understandingourselves and others. 

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Introduction: Women in the Haunted House

Liggins

2020

The Haunted House in Women’s Ghost Stories

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The Magical Imagination

Cited by 65 publications

References 0 publications

Modern Magic, the Illusion of Transformation, and How It Was Done

Modern Magic, the Illusion of Transformation, and How It Was Done

The Magic of Social Life Online Topics and Resources

Introduction: Women in the Haunted House

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