Science and the Supernatural: Spiritualism, Psychical Research and Pseudo-Science in the Nineteenth Century

This chapter explores the nineteenth-century explosion of interest in Spiritualism, psychical research and pseudo-science. Analysing how these discourses represent the intersection of science and the supernatural, this chapter positions scientific supernaturalism as a manifestation of the era’s dynamism and progressive momentum. This chapter also investigates how Spiritualism and psychical research influenced literary fiction, the visual arts and early cinematic experiments, creating a mode of Gothicism defined by a fusion of rationalism and mysticism.