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Performing Dark Arts A Cultural History of Conjuring

Firstly, I should point out that this is not a book of effects, nor is it a book of how to perform magic and it isn’t the usual kind of magic history book.

Instead, Michael Mangan attempts to examine significant moments in the history of magic and place them into a context that draws upon contemporary theories of performance … and vice versa.

Key moments and practitioners are discussed; from the witches of early modern England, through to the wonderful story of the “Bottle Conjurer”, right up to David Blaine via chapters on spiritualism, Houdin and Houdini.

Each chapter draws from significant sources and certainly provided me with the intellectual springboard to follow-up on some of the ideas, themes and sources discussed.

I would recommend this book to performers interested in contextualising their work; (the final chapter concerning the placement of Geller, Brown & Blaine within the popular psyche, provides interesting reading for any (post)modern conjurer) and magic historians (as it provides a vital theoretical base from which to (re)examine magic history).

Performing Dark Arts: A Cultural History of Conjuring by Michael Mangan is published by Intellect Books. ISBN 9781841501499

JsH

This book got slated in a recent review in the Magic Circular, particularly for the author's lack of basic knowledge about magic. Did you find it helpful and informative?

I've been thinking about this and, yes, some of the basic magic knowledge can be seen as somewhat naive. But I took off my magician's hat* and read it as a theatre/performance academic and found it very interesting. I think the author would admit (and he more than hints at this in the Introduction) that he does not want to come across as writing as a magician, but as an 'historian of performance'. I think that is an important distinction to make as performance generally (not just magic) has a great deal to do with how the audience frames the work. Mangan examines, theorises and contextualises about this framing.

Although my review leans on the positive. I can see why some magicians may see magical knowledge as lacking, but in this case, and with the author's aims in mind, I don't think it really matters, and it's refreshing to read these arguments, from the point of view of a lay person.

I would love to read the Magic Circular review some time.


*No hat jokes please.