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Blog #2: Witches to Magicians: A New Era of Magic


        The years 1700-1900 witnessed a change in the general perception of witches and magic. Rather than believing they practiced witchcraft, so called witches began to be faced with an air of skepticism and were labeled as frauds. This shift is discussed in “A History of Magic Witchcraft and the Occult,” and is evident through a change in the reasoning for the persecution of witches but also an end to the persecution of witches in general. Before the 1700s, the reading explained that witches were widely persecuted for being, “agents of Satan performing mysterious magic.” However, in the years 1700-1900 if they were persecuted at all, it was instead for, “duping people with claims to false powers.” This shift was due to the Enlightenment where advances in science helped disprove magic which in itself disproved witches. 

Changes in science spurred a new era of witchcraft and magic. Rather than magic being seen as associated with Satan or devils, it became associated with new concepts such as hypnosis, stage magic, and spiritualism. These new concepts arguably leaned into science using the art of illusion to trick audience members. This created a shocking fact: during this time, the people who were the most famous for practicing magic were actually utilizing science to make their tricks appear like magic. They were essentially using the tool which had rendered the magic of the past useless as in fact useful for modern magic. 

The shift to more modern forms of magic in my opinion changed the relevance of witches. With new forms of magic, it seemed like individuals practicing witchcraft were replaced by individuals practicing modern magic, otherwise known as magicians. These magicians were performing the tricks and practices that many witches would have been persecuted for if they attempted them prior to the 1700s. Magicians however were not persecuted because they were not connected to Satan and many times their magic could be disproven as fraud if the science behind the trick was discovered. Analyzing the shift from older witchcraft related magic to more modern forms of magic helps me understand how perceptions of witches changed during the period 1700-1900. It is this shift which enabled an end to the persecution of witches but also the rise in magicians creating a new era of magic.

 

Comments

  1. williams.dan76September 25, 2024 at 6:55 AM

    Thanks for your overview of witchcraft from 1700 to 1900. For occult beliefs, it's really a fascinating time. While the rise of empirical science dispelled a lot of belief in witches, occult beliefs shifted--as you note--to speaking with the dead, spiritualism. And as with our current and final chapter, the belief in secret societies with hidden knowledge is widespread.

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