Ghost-Seers, Detectives, and Spiritualists: Theories of Vision in Victorian Literature and Science (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781107634589)

This is an original study of the narrative techniques that developed for two very popular forms of fiction in the nineteenth century - ghost stories and detective stories - and the surprising similarities between them in the context of contemporary theories of vision and sight. Srdjan Smajic argues that to understand how writers represented ghost-seers and detectives, the views of contemporary scientists, philosophers, and spiritualists with which these writers engage have to be taken into account: these views raise questions such as whether seeing really is believing, how much of what we 'see' is actually only inferred, and whether there may be other (intuitive or spiritual) ways of seeing that enable us to perceive objects and beings inaccessible to the bodily senses. This book will make a real contribution to the understanding of Victorian science in culture, and of the ways in which literature draws on all kinds of knowledge.

Author: Srdjan Smajic
ISBN-10: 110763458X
ISBN-13: 9781107634589
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 11/21/2013
Pages: 280
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.70d