Second Sight in the Nineteenth Century - Prophecy, Imagination and Nationhood (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2017)

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.

General

Imprint:	Palgrave Macmillan
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Palgrave Studies in Literature, Science and Medicine
Release date:	June 2017
First published:	2017
Authors:	Elsa Richardson
Dimensions:	210 x 148mm (L x W)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	260
Edition:	1st ed. 2017
ISBN-13:	978-1-137-51969-6
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > 19th century Promotions
LSN:	1-137-51969-X
Barcode:	9781137519696

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!