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Second Sight in the Nineteenth Century: Prophecy, Imagination and Nationhood 2017 Edition
Contributor(s): Richardson, Elsa (Author)
ISBN: 113751969X     ISBN-13: 9781137519696
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
OUR PRICE:   $113.99  
Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats
Published: June 2017
Qty:
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.