tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post1556234644263383450..comments2024-03-27T22:25:42.129-05:00Comments on Reading the Past: Marschel Paul's The Spirit Room, a novel of cultural fads and women's lives in 1850s New YorkSarah Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-44662211328195834472014-08-07T15:40:29.965-05:002014-08-07T15:40:29.965-05:00Which still happens...all those ghost hunter progr...Which still happens...all those ghost hunter programs my husband watches are based on the belief that science & technology can provide evidence of the supernatural. Without, apparently, much reflection of what 100% solid evidence of the supernatural would mean to our lives...if we were absolutely certain there were life after death, wouldn't we be MORE religious?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07338002014574933192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-60647762666198587702014-08-07T14:37:39.267-05:002014-08-07T14:37:39.267-05:00Good points - and the movement really started spre...Good points - and the movement really started spreading in the 1850s (when this novel takes place), which was before the Civil War and Prince Albert's death, though both may have contributed to its influence. Re: the spread of religious doubts... I can see how that would lead people to seek scientific explanations and evidence for their spiritual beliefs. So mediums and seances, who supposedly could demonstrate such evidence, had a built-in audience for their work.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-43627219224930856732014-08-07T14:04:57.793-05:002014-08-07T14:04:57.793-05:00But there was a concurrent movement in the UK...al...But there was a concurrent movement in the UK...also the rise of the mourning industry, made fashionable after the death of Prince Albert. Perhaps also influenced by the spread of religious doubts...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07338002014574933192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-51607003797439924932014-08-07T12:51:02.350-05:002014-08-07T12:51:02.350-05:00I agree. For such a small corner of upstate New Y...I agree. For such a small corner of upstate New York in the 19th century, there was a lot going on - the growth of spiritualism with the Fox Sisters (1848), the Seneca Falls convention in support of women's rights (also 1848)... both of which created widespread movements that continued through today, though spiritualism isn't as pervasive now as it was then. It all makes for good fodder for a novel.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-88040593202550878292014-08-07T12:45:42.316-05:002014-08-07T12:45:42.316-05:00That explanation makes sense to me too.That explanation makes sense to me too.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-76381864695949574932014-08-07T12:31:50.056-05:002014-08-07T12:31:50.056-05:00I've speculated that one reason for the spirit...I've speculated that one reason for the spiritualist craze of the later 19th century that it was a form of PTSD for a civilian population that had lost so many dears ones in the Civil War, a war that changed their worlds profoundly in so many ways beyond that as well, from a single currency to industrialism.<br /><br />This is speculation only. I have no data.<br /><br />Love, c.Foxessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06754083123669916994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-21327675910181351782014-08-06T21:23:14.966-05:002014-08-06T21:23:14.966-05:00A subject I know very little about. Intriguing def...A subject I know very little about. Intriguing definitely.Mysticahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10941269615559681014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-7695074866366415122014-08-06T13:08:09.337-05:002014-08-06T13:08:09.337-05:00I wish I remembered for sure. I think we ended up ...I wish I remembered for sure. I think we ended up following each other on Twitter, and I recognized the author's name from attending past HNS conferences. I used to handle registration and sent out many letters and emails, so most attendees' names are familiar to me. After I heard about the book, I checked it out on Amazon, read the sample, and bought it. That happens a lot!<br /><br />I'll be curious what you think of the book whenever you get a chance to read it.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-66871380998247834192014-08-06T11:50:48.046-05:002014-08-06T11:50:48.046-05:00I'm also fascinated by the spiritualist craze ...I'm also fascinated by the spiritualist craze (and all the weird religious experiments that were going around at the time). I went ahead and bought the Kindle version. Since I also self-publish, mind if I ask you an insider question--how did this novel come to your attention?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07338002014574933192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-16158196520652434352014-08-06T09:34:57.554-05:002014-08-06T09:34:57.554-05:00I was happy to find this book because America'...I was happy to find this book because America's fascination with spiritualism in the 19th century interests me, and the last novel about it that I'd picked up - one about the Fox sisters - was so disappointing I couldn't get through it.<br /><br />The author's website says The Spirit Room was honored in two different awards competitions (finalist in one, honorable mention in the other). The Kindle price is a bargain!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-1398712521824534172014-08-06T09:23:42.325-05:002014-08-06T09:23:42.325-05:00Thanks for your comment!Thanks for your comment!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-34102513876203490682014-08-06T09:16:54.699-05:002014-08-06T09:16:54.699-05:00This one immediately grabbed my attention by its s...This one immediately grabbed my attention by its subject-matter, and I'm all the more delighted to see it's self-published! Thanks for the review.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07338002014574933192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-86775982713020117412014-08-05T12:48:58.529-05:002014-08-05T12:48:58.529-05:00Interesting.
Interesting.<br />Lauralee https://www.blogger.com/profile/14390056395943760008noreply@blogger.com