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Ghosts in Enlightenment Scotland - Ingram Academic — Mysticism

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Ghosts in Enlightenment Scotland - Ingram Academic

Name: Ghosts in Enlightenment Scotland - Ingram Academic
Price: 130.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781783273621

✍️ McGill, Martha

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

Martha McGill's "Ghosts in Enlightenment Scotland" meticulously examines how the land of 'ghaists and houlets' maintained its spectral reputation even as rational thought flourished. This pioneering academic work, focusing on 1685-1830, traces the evolution of ghostly beliefs from medieval fears and Reformation-era demonic obsessions to their re-emergence as religious tools and later, medical curiosities. It delves into how Romantic and Gothic literature embraced these phantoms, and how folk culture used apparitions to explore profound questions of life and death, providing the first dedicated study of this paradoxical period.

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Mysticism

🏛 Boydell Press 📅 2018 📖 266 pages 📔 Hardcover ISBN: 9781783273621

Fun Fact

McGill's 'Ghosts in Enlightenment Scotland' is an exceptional academic achievement, offering unparalleled depth into a fascinating cultural phenomenon. It masterfully navigates the complex interplay between reason and enduring belief, providing nuanced insights into Scotland's identity. Those seeking a light read or a simple collection of ghost stories might be disappointed by its scholarly rigor. However, for serious students of Scottish history, folklore, or the Enlightenment, this book is an indispensable contribution, shedding new light on how the spectral continued to haunt an age of reason.

📝 Description: Ghosts in Enlightenment Scotland - Ingram Academic

An examination of how and why Scotland gained its reputation for the supernatural, and how belief continued to flourish in a supposed Age of Enlightenment. SHORTLISTED for the Katharine Briggs Award 2019 Scotland is famed for being a haunted nation, "whare ghaists and houlets nightly cry". Medieval Scots told stories of restless souls and walking corpses, but after the 1560Reformation, witches and demons became the focal point for explorations of the supernatural. Ghosts re-emerged in scholarly discussion in the late seventeenth century, often in the guise of religious propagandists. As time went on, physicians increasingly reframed ghosts as the conjurations of disturbed minds, but gothic and romantic literature revelled in the emotive power of the returning dead; they were placed against a backdrop of ancient monasteries, castles and mouldering ruins, and authors such as Robert Burns, James Hogg and Walter Scott drew on the macabre to colour their depictions of Scottish life. Meanwhile, folk culture used apparitions to talk about morality and mortality. Focusing on the period from 1685 to 1830, this book provides the first academic study of the history of Scottish ghosts. Drawing on a wide range of sources, and examining beliefs across the social spectrum, it shows howghost stories achieved a new prominence in a period that is more usually associated with the rise of rationalism. In exploring perceptions of ghosts, it also reflects on understandings of death and the afterlife; the constructionof national identity; and the impact of the Enlightenment. MARTHA MCGILL completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh.

📑 What's inside

Introduction
Medieval and Reformation Ghosts
Evangelising Ghosts
Scepticism and Debate
Gothic and Romantic Ghosts
Ghosts in Popular Culture
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

💎 Expert review

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💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

McGill’s meticulous examination is a vital contribution to understanding the paradox of spectral beliefs flourishing alongside rational thought. However, readers seeking a light, entertaining read on ghost stories may find the academic rigor and dense historical analysis of religious tools and medical curiosities somewhat dry. This is not a collection of chilling tales for casual consumption but a serious scholarly work focusing on 1685-1830. It demands patience and interest in intellectual history rather than supernatural thrills. While indispensable for academics, the average paranormal hobbyist might struggle with its theoretical framework. It is best suited for those willing to engage with complex historical evolutions of belief systems rather than simple ghost hunting narratives.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Scholars of Scottish history, enthusiasts of the Enlightenment era, and those fascinated by the sociology of belief will find this text indispensable. Martha McGill offers a pioneering academic lens through which to view the transition from medieval demonic fears to medical curiosities. Readers interested in how folk culture utilizes apparitions to process existential questions regarding life and death will appreciate the depth of analysis. Furthermore, students of Romantic and Gothic literature will gain crucial context on how these phantoms were embraced by literary circles. This book provides a unique opportunity to understand the complex interplay between rationality and mysticism during a pivotal historical window, making it essential for anyone seeking to unravel the enduring spectral fascination that defined Scotland's cultural identity during this transformative period.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you're captivated by the intersection of history, folklore, and intellectual shifts, this book is for you. It offers a fresh perspective on Scotland's cultural identity and the enduring power of belief, even in an era of burgeoning reason.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

McGill’s meticulous examination is a vital contribution to understanding the paradox of spectral beliefs flourishing alongside rational thought. However, readers seeking a light, entertaining read on ghost stories may find the academic rigor and dense historical analysis of religious tools and medical curiosities somewhat dry. This is not a collection of chilling tales for casual consumption but a serious scholarly work focusing on 1685-1830. It demands patience and interest in intellectual history rather than supernatural thrills. While indispensable for academics, the average paranormal hobbyist might struggle with its theoretical framework. It is best suited for those willing to engage with complex historical evolutions of belief systems rather than simple ghost hunting narratives.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No, this is a rigorous academic examination of the *history* and *cultural significance* of ghost beliefs in Scotland during a specific historical period, not a compendium of spooky tales.

While acknowledging earlier periods, the book's primary focus is the era between 1685 and 1830, offering the first dedicated academic study of Scottish ghosts within this crucial timeframe.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Supernatural Persistence

Explore the intriguing paradox of how belief in the supernatural not only survived but adapted during Scotland's Age of Enlightenment. This book reveals how ancient tales of restless spirits transformed, sometimes serving religious propaganda, other times re-emerging in popular consciousness despite the prevailing emphasis on reason and empirical thought.

Evolving Ghost Interpretations

Witness the multifaceted interpretations of ghosts across two centuries. McGill details their shift from medieval specters and Reformation demons to being reframed by physicians as psychological phenomena. Simultaneously, the work illuminates how literary and folk traditions continuously re-imagined the returning dead, giving them new cultural and emotional resonance.

Cultural & Literary Ghosts

Discover how Scotland's rich cultural landscape integrated spectral figures into its artistic expression. From the evocative settings of ancient ruins in Gothic literature to the moral and existential allegories within folk traditions, the book illustrates how authors like Robert Burns, James Hogg, and Walter Scott harnessed the macabre to deepen their portrayals of Scottish life and values.

📜 Historical context

This groundbreaking study meticulously situates Scottish ghost beliefs within the vibrant intellectual currents of the Scottish Enlightenment (1685-1830). It challenges simplistic notions of an exclusively rational age, demonstrating how supernatural narratives continued to profoundly shape cultural identity, religious discourse, medical understanding, and literary expression during a period of immense societal change.

📚 Glossary

Enlightenment
Reformation
Gothic Literature

📔 Questions to reflect on

How do modern societal beliefs about the unexplained or supernatural parallel the historical shifts discussed in the book, particularly regarding scientific explanations versus cultural narratives?
Consider a contemporary piece of literature or media that uses spectral figures. What moral or existential messages do these 'ghosts' convey, and how does this compare to their function in historical Scottish folklore?
In what ways might intellectual or scientific advancements, even today, inadvertently create new spaces or interpretations for belief in phenomena that defy easy explanation?