Ritual, Myth and Magic in Early Modern Europe - University of Reading

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Read, J., Prelude to Chemistry. An outline of alchemy, its literature and relationships
(London, 1936).
Redondi, P., Galileo Heretic (Princeton, 1987).
Schechner, S., Comets, Popular Culture and the birth of modern cosmology (Princeton, 1997).
Shumaker, W., Occult Sciences in the Renaissance (London, 1972).
Tester, S., A History of Western Astrology (1987)
Thomas, K., Religion and the Decline of Magic (London, 1971). Esp. ch 10-12
Wallace, W.A., Prelude to Galileo. Essays on Medieval and sixteenth century
sources of Galileo’s Thought (Dordrecht, London 1981).
Wildong, M., Raising Spirits, making gold, and swapping wives (Beeston, 1999).
Seminar 9 : Science and the Supernatural : The Disenchantment of Europe
Summary
Throughout the course, we have examined a variety of beliefs and attitudes in popular
and elite culture. We have looked at perceptions of magic and the influence of the
supernatural in the material world, views on death, ghosts and the afterlife, and at
attitudes to witches, witchcraft, prophecy and astrology. However we have also
considered the way in which these beliefs have changed over time, moulded by
religious conflict, scientific discovery, and intellectual debate. By now, the
description of early modern culture by Keith Thomas in terms of religion and the
decline of magic should be a familiar one. Max Weber referred to the rise of a rational
and orderly universe, and the subsequent ‗disenchantment of the world‘, the removal
of the magic, mysterious, and supernatural from the events of daily life. Similarly,
Bob Scribner has approached this question of ‗disenchantment‘ through a study of the
impact of the Protestant Reformation on popular religion and popular culture in the
sixteenth century. We saw how the arrival of the Inquisition in Oberstdorf brought
about the ‗end of the dreamtime‘ – did the scientific revolution bring an end to the
influence of ritual, myth, and magic? Or did, as Thomas suggests, magic decay before
a new rational system of explanation had been invented to take its place? Did the
supernatural cease to hold power, leaving space for the explanations of the scientists,
or did magic collapse under pressure, squeezed by reformed religion on one side and
natural science on the other?
Seminar Preparation
Although we will use this session to consider explanations for the decline of magic at
the end of our period, it will also be a useful chance to revisit some of our earlier
topics. We will look at the relevant documents together, and consider some of the
questions outlined above, but do take this opportunity to think about broad questions
that will help you to revise this course, and we will take time to have a general
revision session in the latter half of the seminar.
Primary Source Texts
Scot, Discoverie of Witchcraft
Montaigne (extracts)
Secondary Reading
Anglo, S., The Damned Art : Essays in the Literature of Witchcraft (London, 1977).