Blithe Spirits: A History of the Poltergeist
The Trickster-god is a strange and wonderful mythological figure who is found in folklore and legend right across the world, from the Norse Loki to the Greek Hermes to the Raven and Coyote of the Native American peoples. The ultimate "cunning fool," he and the many subversive tales told about him have been studied down the years by anthropologists, historians, literary theorists, and psychologists from Ted Hughes to C. G. Jung. Belief in Trickster-gods, this book argues, has today been transformed into popular belief in Trickster-ghosts, with those noisy, disruptive, roguish spirits known as poltergeists fulfilling largely the same imaginative function as more traditional Trickster-figures. By playing childish tricks upon us, poltergeists reveal our current worldview to be in some way incomplete, breaking the accepted circles of "official" materialistic, scientific logic and provoking laughter at their irreverent audacity in doing so. Rather than being intended to frighten, perhaps the true purpose of certain ghost stories is in fact to amuse, perplex, and provoke? Whether true or not, such ghost stories still function as genuine Trickster-myths, providing those who read them with access to a hidden realm lurking somewhere just beyond the rational, in which the usual rules of science, logic, and reality simply do not apply. Perhaps in doing so they act as a kind of "emotional safety-valve," intended to allow mankind temporary respite from the sometimes oppressive social forces surrounding us. Covering a wide global selection of reported poltergeist phenomena from ancient times right up to the present-day, and then subjecting them to a process of literary, historical, and sociological analysis, Blithe Spirits is one of the most unusual, original, and wide-ranging books about the subject ever to be written.
1133295212
Blithe Spirits: A History of the Poltergeist
The Trickster-god is a strange and wonderful mythological figure who is found in folklore and legend right across the world, from the Norse Loki to the Greek Hermes to the Raven and Coyote of the Native American peoples. The ultimate "cunning fool," he and the many subversive tales told about him have been studied down the years by anthropologists, historians, literary theorists, and psychologists from Ted Hughes to C. G. Jung. Belief in Trickster-gods, this book argues, has today been transformed into popular belief in Trickster-ghosts, with those noisy, disruptive, roguish spirits known as poltergeists fulfilling largely the same imaginative function as more traditional Trickster-figures. By playing childish tricks upon us, poltergeists reveal our current worldview to be in some way incomplete, breaking the accepted circles of "official" materialistic, scientific logic and provoking laughter at their irreverent audacity in doing so. Rather than being intended to frighten, perhaps the true purpose of certain ghost stories is in fact to amuse, perplex, and provoke? Whether true or not, such ghost stories still function as genuine Trickster-myths, providing those who read them with access to a hidden realm lurking somewhere just beyond the rational, in which the usual rules of science, logic, and reality simply do not apply. Perhaps in doing so they act as a kind of "emotional safety-valve," intended to allow mankind temporary respite from the sometimes oppressive social forces surrounding us. Covering a wide global selection of reported poltergeist phenomena from ancient times right up to the present-day, and then subjecting them to a process of literary, historical, and sociological analysis, Blithe Spirits is one of the most unusual, original, and wide-ranging books about the subject ever to be written.
27.95 In Stock
Blithe Spirits: A History of the Poltergeist

Blithe Spirits: A History of the Poltergeist

by S. D. Tucker
Blithe Spirits: A History of the Poltergeist

Blithe Spirits: A History of the Poltergeist

by S. D. Tucker

Overview

The Trickster-god is a strange and wonderful mythological figure who is found in folklore and legend right across the world, from the Norse Loki to the Greek Hermes to the Raven and Coyote of the Native American peoples. The ultimate "cunning fool," he and the many subversive tales told about him have been studied down the years by anthropologists, historians, literary theorists, and psychologists from Ted Hughes to C. G. Jung. Belief in Trickster-gods, this book argues, has today been transformed into popular belief in Trickster-ghosts, with those noisy, disruptive, roguish spirits known as poltergeists fulfilling largely the same imaginative function as more traditional Trickster-figures. By playing childish tricks upon us, poltergeists reveal our current worldview to be in some way incomplete, breaking the accepted circles of "official" materialistic, scientific logic and provoking laughter at their irreverent audacity in doing so. Rather than being intended to frighten, perhaps the true purpose of certain ghost stories is in fact to amuse, perplex, and provoke? Whether true or not, such ghost stories still function as genuine Trickster-myths, providing those who read them with access to a hidden realm lurking somewhere just beyond the rational, in which the usual rules of science, logic, and reality simply do not apply. Perhaps in doing so they act as a kind of "emotional safety-valve," intended to allow mankind temporary respite from the sometimes oppressive social forces surrounding us. Covering a wide global selection of reported poltergeist phenomena from ancient times right up to the present-day, and then subjecting them to a process of literary, historical, and sociological analysis, Blithe Spirits is one of the most unusual, original, and wide-ranging books about the subject ever to be written.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781445667287
Publisher: Amberley Publishing
Publication date: 06/01/2020
Pages: 352
Product dimensions: 6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

S. D. Tucker is an author and journalist. He has written three books for Amberley and writes a regular column in Fortean Times magazine.

Table of Contents

Introduction Acting Like Little Children 7

Caveat Lector How True Are These Tales? 25

Part 1 A Trick of the Imagination? The Trickster and the Poltergeist 35

I The Haunted Mask 36

II The Living Dead 56

III Breaking Down Barriers 69

IV Keys to Meaning 84

V Borderline Personalities 105

VI Shamans Without the Shamanism 121

VII Traps of Logic 136

VIII Our Minds Playing Tricks on Us 146

IX Loki Unbound 154

X The World Turned Upside-Down 162

XI Identity Crisis 169

XII Motives Unknown 178

XIII Poltergeist Art 185

Part 2 High Spirits: A Catalogue of Poltergeist Tricks and Humour 195

I Practical Jokes 196

II Vandalism 200

III Slapstick 207

IV Sick Jokes 212

V Toilet Humour 216

VI Absurdity of Location 223

VII Hide-and-Seek 228

VIII Ridiculous Evidence 236

IX False Promises 246

X Funny Disguises 252

XI Theatres of the Absurd 265

XII Verbal Humour 280

XIII Defying Authority and Blasphemy 284

XIV Poltergeists at Play 297

XV Threats of Violence 302

XVI Rewriting Physical Laws 310

XVII Unusual Conjunctions 316

XVIII Machines in the Ghosts 324

Non-Conclusion Agents of Aporia 330

Bibliography 335

References 339

From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of

Related Subjects

New Age & Alternative Beliefs
Unexplained Phenomena
Supernatural
New Age & Alternative Beliefs
Unexplained Phenomena
Supernatural

Customer Reviews