Faith in a Beam of Light
Magic Lantern and Belief in Western Europe, 1860-1940
Edited by Sabine Lenk Edited by Natalija Majsova
An early visual mass medium, the magic lantern was omnipresent in most Western societies between 1880 and 1930. The Christian Church, especially the Catholics, spiritual associations such as the Freemasons, political interest groups and teaching institutions all made use of lectures enriched by projected images to disseminate information, convictions and doctrines. Moreover, the lantern often featured as a concealed aid in stage spectacles. Nineteen authors analyse the effects of “the beam of light in the dark” in the context of religion, faith and belief. Attention is paid to the wide spectrum of locations where projections took place, as well as to the lantern’s impressive versatility. The lavishly illustrated chapters collected in this volume range from analyses of religious propaganda to fundraising lectures for missionary work in China, from the fight against alcoholism to the secularisation of society, and from the lantern’s application in spiritualist sessions to its use in science and teaching.
An early visual mass medium, the magic lantern was omnipresent in most Western societies between 1880 and 1930. The Christian Church, especially the Catholics, spiritual associations such as the Freemasons, political interest groups and teaching institutions all made use of lectures enriched by projected images to disseminate information, convictions and doctrines. Moreover, the lantern often featured as a concealed aid in stage spectacles. Nineteen authors analyse the effects of “the beam of light in the dark” in the context of religion, faith and belief. Attention is paid to the wide spectrum of locations where projections took place, as well as to the lantern’s impressive versatility. The lavishly illustrated chapters collected in this volume range from analyses of religious propaganda to fundraising lectures for missionary work in China, from the fight against alcoholism to the secularisation of society, and from the lantern’s application in spiritualist sessions to its use in science and teaching.
- Edited by Sabine Lenk
- Edited by Natalija Majsova
Other Titles in this Series
Performing Science, Mediating Knowledge
Science, Showmanship, and the Performance of Authority in the Long Nineteenth Century
Volume 21
Similar Books
‘For You I Study, For You I Work, For You I Live, For You I Am Ready To Even Give My Life’
Essays in Honour of Francis (Frank) J Moloney, SDB
Ars Prophetica
Theology in the Poetry of Twentieth-Century Hebrew Poets Avraham Halfi, Shin Shalom, Amir Gilboa, and T. Carmi
As Messianism Turns to Heresy
The Regenstein Chair Lectures On Lurianic Kabbalah and Shabbatai Tzevi at Hebrew Union College - Cincinnati
Drunk the Potion, No Whit Charmed
The Doctrine of Pure and Perfect Souls from Iamblichus to Damascius
Extracanonical Traditions and the Holy Land
Texts, Rituals, and Material Culture in Late Antique Palestine
Fear, Fear of God, God-Fearers
Philological and Historical Perspectives on the World of Ancient Judaism and Christianity
