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Conjuring Science: A History of Scientific Entertainment and Stage Magic in Modern France by Sofie Lachapelle (review)

Conjuring Science: A History of Scientific Entertainment and Stage Magic in Modern France by... among disparate figures and objects, tends to come at the expense of the study's depth and cohesion. On the other hand, the appearance of the word "medicine" in Budge's title led me to believe his study would address the medical contexts of the defined period more broadly. However, it quickly became apparent that "medicine" meant simply Brunonian medicine. This narrow focus led Budge to exclude Romantic writers like Keats, Shelley, and Blake, all of whom were also deeply engaged with medical discourses. Considering Budge's professed aim to contribute to the study of Romantic literature and medicine, I would have liked to have seen a broader investigation of medical ideas in the period, as Brown's were certainly not the only ones that interested Romantic writers. Budge concludes with a brief discussion of how the medical ideas about overstimulation and nervous irritability traced throughout his study helped legitimate the fledgling discipline of English at the start of the twentieth century. However, considering Budge's insistence on the connection between modernity and Brunonian medicine's association of overstimulation with irritabilty, I found it surprising that he did not link these medical notions to current debates about the impacts of digital technology on perception http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft University of Pennsylvania Press

Conjuring Science: A History of Scientific Entertainment and Stage Magic in Modern France by Sofie Lachapelle (review)

Jones, Graham M.
Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft , Volume 11 (2) – Dec 28, 2016
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Publisher
University of Pennsylvania Press
Copyright
The University of Pennsylvania Press
ISSN
1940-5111
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Abstract

among disparate figures and objects, tends to come at the expense of the study's depth and cohesion. On the other hand, the appearance of the word "medicine" in Budge's title led me to believe his study would address the medical contexts of the defined period more broadly. However, it quickly became apparent that "medicine" meant simply Brunonian medicine. This narrow focus led Budge to exclude Romantic writers like Keats, Shelley, and Blake, all of whom were also deeply engaged with medical discourses. Considering Budge's professed aim to contribute to the study of Romantic literature and medicine, I would have liked to have seen a broader investigation of medical ideas in the period, as Brown's were certainly not the only ones that interested Romantic writers. Budge concludes with a brief discussion of how the medical ideas about overstimulation and nervous irritability traced throughout his study helped legitimate the fledgling discipline of English at the start of the twentieth century. However, considering Budge's insistence on the connection between modernity and Brunonian medicine's association of overstimulation with irritabilty, I found it surprising that he did not link these medical notions to current debates about the impacts of digital technology on perception

Journal

Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft – University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: Dec 28, 2016

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