Spiritualism and Women's Writing : From the Fin De Siècle to the Neo-Victorian

Using a wide range of unexplored archival material, this book examines the 'spectral' influence of Victorian spiritualism and Psychical Research on women's writing, analysing the ways in which modern writers have both subverted and mimicked nineteenth century sources in their evocation of the seance. This original and imaginative study examines the influence of Victorian spiritualism and Psychical Research on a variety of modern and contemporary female authors. It explores both the material and ghostly connections between women's writing - particularly the work of Mich le Roberts, A.S. Byatt, Victoria Glendinning and Sarah Waters - and the practice of mediumship in the nineteenth century. For the first time, it provides a sustained analysis of how and why the haunted world of Victorian spiritualism has been appropriated and reimagined in late twentieth-century fiction. In addition, it shows how many of the apparently unprecedented innovations of modernism are in fact already present in the rituals, performances and documents of the Victorian s ance. Supported by compelling archival research throughout, the book not only demonstrates how a unique selection of nineteenth- and twentieth-century texts are bound together by phantasmal ties but also shows how spiritualism forces us to reconsider our wider understanding of history, narrative and the afterlife. Contents ......Page 8 List of Figures ......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Introduction ......Page 12 1 Theatres in the Skull: The Society for Psychical Research and Actress Narratives ......Page 26 2 Well-tuned Mediums: May Sinclair and Dorothy Richardson ......Page 54 3 Phantasms of Florence Cook in Micheacutele Roberts' In the Red Kitchen ......Page 92 4 Natural and Spiritual Evolutions: A. S. Byatt’s Angels and Insects ......Page 125 5 The Other World Illuminated: Wiring Science, Text and Spirit in Victoria Glendinning’s Electricity ......Page 158 6 Queering the Seacuteance: Sarah Waters’ Affinity ......Page 183 Conclusion ......Page 210 Notes ......Page 215 Bibliography ......Page 231 B ......Page 248 E ......Page 249 I ......Page 250 M ......Page 251 O ......Page 252 S ......Page 253 V ......Page 255 X ......Page 256 Contents 8 List of Figures 9 Acknowledgements 10 Introduction 12 1 Theatres in the Skull: The Society for Psychical Research and Actress Narratives 26 2 Well-tuned Mediums: May Sinclair and Dorothy Richardson 54 3 Phantasms of Florence Cook in Micheacutele Roberts' In the Red Kitchen 92 4 Natural and Spiritual Evolutions: A. S. Byatt’s Angels and Insects 125 5 The Other World Illuminated: Wiring Science, Text and Spirit in Victoria Glendinning’s Electricity 158 6 Queering the Seacuteance: Sarah Waters’ Affinity 183 Conclusion 210 Notes 215 Bibliography 231 Index 248 A 248 B 248 C 249 D 249 E 249 F 250 G 250 H 250 I 250 J 251 K 251 L 251 M 251 N 252 O 252 P 253 Q 253 R 253 S 253 T 255 U 255 V 255 W 256 X 256 0230200052,9780230200050 Palgrave Macmillan Theatres in the skull: the society for physical research and actress narratives Well-tuned mediums: May Sinclair and Dorothy Richardson Phantasms of Florence Cook in Miche le Roberts' In the red kitchen Natural and spiritual evolutions: A.S. Byatt's Angels and insects The other world illuminated: writing science, text and spirit in Victoria Glendinning's Electricity Queering the se ance: Sarah Waters' Affinity. Using a wide range of unexplored archival material, this book examines the 'spectral' influence of Victorian spiritualism and Psychical Research on women's writing, analyzing the ways in which modern writers have both subverted and mimicked nineteenth century sources in their evocation of the séance. Using a wide range of unexplored archival material, this book examines the 'spectral' influence of Victorian spiritualism and Psychical Research on women's writing, analyzing the ways in which modern writers have both subverted and mimicked nineteenth century sources in their evocation of the seance. Using a wide range of unexplored archival material, this book examines the 'spectral' influence of Victorian spiritualism and Psychical Research on women's writing, analyzing the ways in which modern writers have both subverted and mimicked 19th-century sources in their evocation of the seance