Second Sight in the Nineteenth Century: Prophecy, Imagination and Nationhood 2017 Edition Contributor(s): Richardson, Elsa (Author) |
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ISBN: 113751969X ISBN-13: 9781137519696 Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan OUR PRICE: $113.99 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: June 2017 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Modern - 19th Century - Literary Criticism | English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh - Literary Criticism | European - General |
Dewey: 809 |
LCCN: 2017938578 |
Series: Palgrave Studies in Literature, Science and Medicine |
Physical Information: 0.63" H x 5.83" W x 8.27" (1.04 lbs) 260 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - British Isles |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: This book explores the phenomenon of second sight in nineteenth-century literature and culture. Second sight is a form of prophetic vision associated with the folklore of the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Described in Gaelic as the An-da-shealladh or 'the two sights', those in possession of this extraordinary power are said to foresee future events like the death of neighbour, the arrival of strangers into the community, the success or failure of a fishing trip. From the late seventeenth century onwards, rumours of this strange faculty attracted the attention of numerous scientists, travel writers, antiquarians, poets and artists. Focusing on the nineteenth century, this book examines second sight in relation to mesmerism and phrenology, modern spiritualism and anthropology, romance literature and folklorism and finally, psychical research and Celtic mysticism. Tracing the migration of a supposedly 'Scottish' tradition through various sites of nineteenth-century popular culture, it explores questions of nationhood and identity alongside those posed by supernatural phenomena. |