Magic and masculinity : ritual magic and gender in the early modern era / by Frances Timbers.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Timbers, Frances, author.

Series:

International library of historical studies ; 92.

International library of historical studies ; 92

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Magic--England--History--16th century.

Magic.

Magic--England--History--17th century.

Ritual--England--History--16th century.

Ritual.

Ritual--England--History--17th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (361 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Magic & masculinity : ritual magic & gender in the early modern era

Place of Publication:

London : I.B. Tauris, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"In early modern England, the practice of ritual or ceremonial magic - the attempted communication with angels and demons - both reinforced and subverted existing concepts of gender. The majority of male magicians acted from a position of control and command commensurate with their social position in a patriarchal society; other men, however, used the notion of magic to subvert gender ideals while still aiming to attain hegemony. Whilst women who claimed to perform magic were usually more submissive in their attempted dealings with the spirit world, some female practitioners employed magic to undermine the patriarchal culture and further their own agenda. Frances Timbers studies the practice of ritual magic in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries focusing especially on gender and sexual perspectives. Using the examples of well-known individuals who set themselves up as magicians (including John Dee, Simon Forman and William Lilly), as well as unpublished diaries and journals, literature and legal records, this book provides a unique analysis of early modern ceremonial magic from a gender perspective."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Contents:

Introduction

Chapter 1. For the 'Uninitiated'

Chapter 2. Magical Masculinities

Chapter 3. Fraternity and Freemasons

Chapter 4. Scrying and Subversion: John Dee and Edward Kelley

Chapter 5. John Pordage and Passivity

Chapter 6. Swords, Satan and Sex

Chapter 7. Fairies and Female Magicians

Chapter 8. Magical Metaphors: Mary Parish and Goodwin Wharton

Chapter 9. Magic and Honour

Conclusion: Boundaries and Intersections

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780755621439

0755621433

9780857735881

0857735888

OCLC:

910623041