Ghosts: Appearances of the Dead & Cultural TransformationThroughout history, people have reported seeing "ghosts." But a Victorian ghost is in many respects a very different phenomenon from a ghost in Classical Greece, or in medieval Europe. Finucane surveys reports of ghosts from ancient Greece, the early Christian era, the Reformation, the Victorian age, and through the twentieth century. He asks such questions as: How have the physical aspects claimed for ghosts varied from age to age? What differences are there in the functions and intentions ascribed to ghosts? How have the changes in more general beliefsin religion and science, in particularinfluenced the perception of ghosts? Drawing on primary sources from all periods and cultures, Finucane addresses this topic in its full breadth. |
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User Review - RandyStafford - LibraryThingMy reaction to reading this book in 1993. I picked this book up on a lark and am glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this witty, informative book. The cultural history of ghosts is fascinating – from the ... Read full review
Contents
Christianity and EarlyMedieval Revenants | 29 |
Purgatory Penance and the Restless Dead in | 49 |
Demons and Ghosts | 90 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
accounts afterlife Andrew Lang Anglican Anthoinette apparitions appeared asked atheists attitudes Aubrey Augustine beliefs bishop Bodleian Library body Book of Dreams burial buried Byland Abbey Caesarius Catholic chap Christian Church Cistercian claimed classical Cock Lane confessed corpse dead death demonic described Devil died doctrine dream earlier early eighteenth century England example famous father ghost stories ghostly girl Glanvill grave Hades Hardinge-Britten Harry Price heard hell Ibid instance knocks lady later Middle Ages living medieval medium monk motif murder narrations necromancy night nineteenth century noises otherworld pagan Pausanias percipient poltergeist postmortem prayers Premature Burial priest Protestant punishment purgatory rapping Reginald Scot reported Saducismus saints Satan's Invisible World says scepticism seems seen servant Sinclair society soul spectre spirits SPR archives SPR Journal SPR Proceedings supernatural Taillepied Teiresias tion tomb Ulysses usually vanished Victorian voice wife woman writers
Bibliographic information
| Title | Ghosts: Appearances of the Dead & Cultural Transformation |
| Author | Ronald C. Finucane |
| Edition | 2, illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Prometheus Books, 1996 |
| Original from | Indiana University |
| Digitized | Jun 11, 2009 |
| ISBN | 1573920681, 9781573920681 |
| Length | 232 pages |
| Subjects | › › Body, Mind & Spirit / Parapsychology / General Body, Mind & Spirit / Supernatural Nature / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |