Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration, and the Power of Imagination

Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration, and the Power of Imagination PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004466002
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
Tying on case studies from late antiquity to the 21st century, this is the first volume that systematically explores the inter-relationship between fictional narratives about magic and the real-world ritual art of practicing magicians.

Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration, and the Power of Imagination

Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration, and the Power of Imagination PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004466002
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Get Book

Book Description
Tying on case studies from late antiquity to the 21st century, this is the first volume that systematically explores the inter-relationship between fictional narratives about magic and the real-world ritual art of practicing magicians.

Storytelling and Collective Psychology

Storytelling and Collective Psychology PDF Author: Darren Kelsey
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030936600
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description
This book examines the work of psychological illusionist Derren Brown to understand the significance of storytelling and ancient philosophy in our society. Reflecting on the social disconnection and political polarisation of recent times, Darren Kelsey considers how we can rebuild a sense of collective cohesion and common good, weaving together contemporary psychology with ancient Stoicism to cut through the noise of modern life. Kelsey shows that Brown is more than a stage performer: he’s an enlightened magician who offers us guidance for navigating the challenges life throws at us, using his skills and wisdom to help us better understand ourselves and enable human flourishing. In this rigorous examination of Brown’s work, Kelsey makes a compelling case for paying closer attention to our personal, cultural and political stories and beliefs to help create a better future – for ourselves, our communities, and the planet.

The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief

The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief PDF Author: Alison James
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000993361
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 815

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Book Description
The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief offers a fresh reevaluation of the relationship between fiction and belief, surveying key debates and perspectives from a range of disciplines including narrative and cultural studies, science, religion, and politics. This volume draws on global, cutting edge research and theory to investigate the historically variable understandings of fictionality, and allows readers to grasp the role of fictions in our understanding of the world. This interdisciplinary approach provides a thorough introduction to the fundamental themes of: Theoretical and Philosophical Perspectives on Fiction Fiction, Fact, and Science Social Effects and Uses of Fiction Fiction and Politics Fiction and Religion Questioning how fictions in fact shape, mediate or distort our beliefs about the real world, essays in this volume outline the state of theoretical debates from the perspectives of literary theory, philosophy, sociology, religious studies, history, and the cognitive sciences. It aims to take stock of the real or supposed effects that fiction has on the world, and to offer a wide-reaching reflection on the implications of belief in fictions in the so-called “post-truth” era.

Occult Roots of Religious Studies

Occult Roots of Religious Studies PDF Author: Yves Mühlematter
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110660334
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
The historiographers of religious studies have written the history of this discipline primarily as a rationalization of ideological, most prominently theological and phenomenological ideas: first through the establishment of comparative, philological and sociological methods and secondly through the demand for intentional neutrality. This interpretation caused important roots in occult-esoteric traditions to be repressed. This process of “purification” (Latour) is not to be equated with the origin of the academic studies. De facto, the elimination of idealistic theories took time and only happened later. One example concerning the early entanglement is Tibetology, where many researchers and respected chair holders were influenced by theosophical ideas or were even members of the Theosophical Society. Similarly, the emergence of comparatistics cannot be understood without taking into account perennialist ideas of esoteric provenance, which hold that all religions have a common origin. In this perspective, it is not only the history of religious studies which must be revisited, but also the partial shaping of religious studies by these traditions, insofar as it saw itself as a counter-model to occult ideas.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell PDF Author: Susanna Clarke
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 160819535X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1098

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Book Description
In the Hugo-award winning, epic New York Times Bestseller and basis for the BBC miniseries, two men change England's history when they bring magic back into the world. In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars in 1806, most people believe magic to have long since disappeared from England - until the reclusive Mr. Norrell reveals his powers and becomes an overnight celebrity. Another practicing magician then emerges: the young and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's pupil, and the two join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wild, most perilous forms of magic, and he soon risks sacrificing his partnership with Norrell and everything else he holds dear. Susanna Clarke's brilliant first novel is an utterly compelling epic tale of nineteenth-century England and the two magicians who, first as teacher and pupil and then as rivals, emerge to change its history.

Magic and Witchery in the Modern West

Magic and Witchery in the Modern West PDF Author: Shai Feraro
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3030155498
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
This book marks twenty years since the publication of Professor Ronald Hutton’s The Triumph of the Moon, a major contribution to the historical study of Wicca. Building on and celebrating Hutton’s pioneering work, the chapters in this volume explore a range of modern magical, occult, and Pagan groups active in Western nations. Each contributor is a specialist in the study of modern Paganism and occultism, although differ in their embrace of historical, anthropological, and psychological perspectives. Chapters examine not only the history of Wicca, the largest and best-known form of modern Paganism, but also modern Pagan environmentalist and anti-nuclear activism, the Pagan interpretation of fairy folklore, and the contemporary ‘Traditional Witchcraft’ phenomenon.

The Path of Desire

The Path of Desire PDF Author: Hugh B. Urban
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226831116
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
A provocative study of contemporary Tantra as a dynamic living tradition. Tantra, one of the most important religious currents in South Asia, is often misrepresented as little more than ritualized sex. Through a mixture of ethnography and history, Hugh B. Urban reveals a dynamic living tradition behind the sensationalist stories. Urban shows that Tantric desire goes beyond the erotic, encompassing such quotidian experiences as childbearing and healing. He traces these holistic desires through a series of unique practices: institutional Tantra centered on gurus and esoteric rituals; public Tantra marked by performance and festival; folk Tantra focused on magic and personal well-being; and popular Tantra imagined in fiction, film, and digital media. The result is a provocative new description of Hindu Tantra that challenges us to approach religion as something always entwined with politics and culture, thoroughly entangled with ordinary needs and desires.

The Unwanteds

The Unwanteds PDF Author: Lisa McMann
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1442407697
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic.

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians PDF Author: H. G. Parry
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0356514692
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 560

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Book Description
'A rich, sprawling epic full of history and magic.' Alix E. Harrow, Hugo award-winning author A sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a genre-defying story of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom. It is the Age of Enlightenment -- of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas. But amidst all of the upheaval of the enlightened world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilisation into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to chaos. For more from H.G. Parry, check out The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep 'Impressively intricate; fans of the magic-and-history of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell will be delighted.' Alexandra Rowland, author of A Conspiracy of Truths 'A beautiful tapestry of words, a combination of carefully observed and researched history and a well-thought-out and fascinating system of magic. An absolute delight to read.' Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library 'Puts a human face on the titans of the past, while weaving in supernatural elements that add a whole new dimension. I stayed up well past my bedtime to find out what happens next.' Marie Brennan, author of the Memoirs of Lady Trent series

Memory and Dream

Memory and Dream PDF Author: Charles de Lint
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780765316783
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
A tale of love, courage, and the transforming power of imagination