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Loading... A Dark Muse: A History of the Occult (2003)by Gary Lachman
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  Lepophagus | Jun 14, 2018 |   Needless to say, that's a slightly difficult task – by nature, and by definition, "the occult" is hidden. Having said that, I enjoyed this book, and found it useful. There are times when the writer is more credulous than I am (I'm not at all sure I believe as much about some of the historical figures as he does), but not overly so – this is still within the realms of "read with some confidence". For those who are new to the area, this book might assume more knowledge than is comfortable – for those who know the area well, the book will be vaguely interesting but will tell them little new. For those who have some background, but not much – it might just be a gold mine. It has a serious lack, however, in not having an index – one must trawl through to find entries. Admittedly, these are fairly well marked but the lack of an index reduces the usefulness of the book greatly. 1  tole_lege | Oct 22, 2005 | no reviews | add a review
The occult was a crucial influence on the Renaissance, and it obsessed the popular thinkers of the day. But with the Age of Reason, occultism was sidelined; only charlatans found any use for it. Occult ideas did not disappear, however, but rather went underground. It developed into a fruitful source of inspiration for many important artists. Works of brilliance, sometimes even of genius, were produced under its influence. In A Dark Muse, Lachman discusses the Enlightenment obsession with occult politics, the Romantic explosion, the futuristic occultism of the fin de siècle, and the deep occult roots of the modernist movement. Some of the writers and thinkers featured in this hidden history of western thought and sensibility are Emanuel Swedenborg, Charles Baudelaire, J. K. Huysmans, August Strindberg, William Blake, Goethe, Madame Blavatsky, H. G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, and Malcolm Lowry. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)809.9337Literature By Topic History, description and criticism of more than two literatures By topic Other aspects Specific themes and subjects Supernatural, mythological, legendary themesLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.52)
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Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it an enthralling, well-researched primer on the history of the occult. It is worth noting that this book focuses primarily upon writers rather than scientists or pure magicians. It is also worth noting that the latter half of the book provides a rich sampling of sections from the most pertinent texts mentioned. It's a fun exercise to read the samples while focusing upon the author's section. (