About the author
Marlene Tromp is a scholar of Victorian literature and culture whose academic work examines nineteenth-century spiritualism alongside questions of gender, sexuality, and empire. Her book Altered States: Sex, Nation, Drugs, and Self-Transformation in Victorian Spiritualism, published by State University of New York Press, looks at the rise of spiritualist practice, its séances and mediums, in Victorian Britain, and argues that the movement helped unsettle conventional expectations around female roles and the rhetoric of imperial power at the time. The book is an academic study rather than a popular history, engaging closely with primary sources from the period and with the broader scholarship on Victorian religion and culture. Tromp has held senior academic leadership roles at American universities alongside her research and teaching in English and gender studies. Altered States remains her key contribution to the catalogue's spiritualism holdings, suited to readers with an interest in the intellectual and cultural history of the séance rather than practical spiritualist guidance.
📖 Where to start with Marlene Tromp
💬 What our editors say about Marlene Tromp's books
“Tromp provides a rigorous academic exploration of Spiritualism’s radical potential, making it unsuitable for casual readers seeking paranormal entertainment or simple ghost stories. The dense reliance on period documents may…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Altered States: Sex, Nation, Drugs, and Self-Transformation in Victorian Spiritualism Tromp, Marlene
“Tromp provides a compelling academic analysis of Victorian Spiritualism as a force that challenged norms rather than just recording history. However, readers seeking practical mediumship guides or devotional spiritualist texts…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Altered States: Sex, Nation, Drugs, and Self-Transformation in Victorian Spiritualism Tromp, Marlene
