Victorian Alchemy

Science, magic and ancient Egypt

By: Eleanor Dobson

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Paperback | 6 October 2022

At a Glance

Paperback
279 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.19 x 15.39 x 2.01

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$113.75

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An engaging study of how Victorian-era representations of ancient Egypt blended science and mysticism.

With its material remnants paradoxically symbolizing both antiquity and modernity to Victorian audiences, ancient Egypt was at once evocative of ancient magical power and of cutting-edge science, a tension that might be productively conceived of as "alchemical." Examining literature and other cultural forms including art, photography, and early film, Eleanor Dobson herein traces the myriad ways in which the Victorian fascination with ancient Egypt evoked the entwined forces of magic and science, providing more than a mere setting for Orientalist fantasies and nightmares. From imaging technologies and astronomy to investigations into the electromagnetic spectrum and the human mind itself, this book demonstrates how conceptions of modernity were inextricably bound up in the contemporary reception of the ancient world, illustrating how such ideas took root and flourished in the Victorian era and persist to this day.

Industry Reviews

'In Victorian Alchemy: Science, Magic, and Ancient Egypt, Dobson deftly weaves a narrative that is a mix of art, literary, and film criticism with history of science, technology, and magic to argue that the connection of science and magic with ancient Egypt has a long-standing tradition, with its foundation in the Victorian era.'
Isis

'Lucidly written and well organized, the book contributes to the scholarship on Victorian science broadly, particularly physics, and also further elucidates the role of Egypt in Western conceptions of modernity and empire.'
CHOICE

'Encourages us to question the origins of, and motivations behind this fascination: why does the spell that ancient Egypt cast on Victorian society continue to hold us in its grasp.'
Fortean Times

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