The Magic Seminar

This course traces interconnections between the secular study of magic and the rise of the occult, especially from the Victorian era up through the 1920s. In such emergent fields as anthropology and folklore, alongside more established ones such as Classics, magic became a subject of fascination as scholars sought to understand the roots and rationalities of enchantment. At the same time, and sometimes in response to these trends, interest in occult practices grew, often blurring the lines between science and magic (or magick). Throughout the semester, we will consider key texts in both traditions: those that claim the position of scholarly outsider and those that develop models of practice and occult revival. This course will appeal to students with interests not only in magic and science, but also the importance of several historical trends and dynamics that have shaped the world in and after the Victorian era, including industrialization, secularization, colonialism, and modernism.