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Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1866 > March > Bibliographic News > The Spiritist’s wife, by Ange de Kéraniou
The Spiritist’s wife, by Ange de Kéraniou
The Événement, from February 19th, carries the following article about this book, signed by Zola, like in the preceding matter:
“The novelists, short of imagination, decisively resort to Spiritism, in these times of incessant production, to find new and strange subjects. In my last article I talked about Spiritist, by Théophile Gautier; today I must announce the launch of The Spiritist’s wife, by Ange de Kéraniou, published by Lemer.
Spiritism will perhaps provide the French genius with the marvelous necessary to every well-conditioned epic. The Davenports would then have brought us one of the elements of the epic poem that French literature still waits. Mr. Kéraniou’s book is a bit fuzzy; we do not know if he is laughing or talking seriously; but it is full of curious details that makes it an interesting book to browse through. The Count Humbert de Luzy, emeritus Spiritist, a kind of anti-Christ, that made the tables dance, married a young woman to whom he inspires terrible fear. The young lady, as expected, wants to find a lover. Here is where the story becomes truly original. The Spirits become the guard of honor of the husband, and in two occasions, under desperate circumstances, the save that honor with the help of apparitions and earthquakes. If I were married, I would become a Spiritist.”
The Spiritist idea has definitely made its entry into the press through the novel. She enters ornated: the naked truth would shock those gentlemen. We do not know this new book but through the article above; we, therefore, cannot say anything about it. We can only attest that the author of this critic announces, perhaps without seeing its reach, a great and fecund truth, that arts and literature will find in Spiritism a rich mine to explore. We said long ago: one day there will be the Spiritist art, as there was the Pagan art and the Christian art. Yes, the poet, the writer, the painter, the sculptor, the musician, even the architect will find plenty of sublime inspiration in this new source, when they explore somewhere else other than the bottom of a closet. Théophile Gautier was the first one to enter the field, through a fundamental book full of poetry. He will have followers, no doubt. “Spiritism will perhaps provide the French genius with the marvelous necessary to every well-conditioned epic” – this might already be a result not to be neglected. (see the Spiritist Review, December 1860, Spiritist Art, the Pagan Art and the Christian Art).
“The novelists, short of imagination, decisively resort to Spiritism, in these times of incessant production, to find new and strange subjects. In my last article I talked about Spiritist, by Théophile Gautier; today I must announce the launch of The Spiritist’s wife, by Ange de Kéraniou, published by Lemer.
Spiritism will perhaps provide the French genius with the marvelous necessary to every well-conditioned epic. The Davenports would then have brought us one of the elements of the epic poem that French literature still waits. Mr. Kéraniou’s book is a bit fuzzy; we do not know if he is laughing or talking seriously; but it is full of curious details that makes it an interesting book to browse through. The Count Humbert de Luzy, emeritus Spiritist, a kind of anti-Christ, that made the tables dance, married a young woman to whom he inspires terrible fear. The young lady, as expected, wants to find a lover. Here is where the story becomes truly original. The Spirits become the guard of honor of the husband, and in two occasions, under desperate circumstances, the save that honor with the help of apparitions and earthquakes. If I were married, I would become a Spiritist.”
The Spiritist idea has definitely made its entry into the press through the novel. She enters ornated: the naked truth would shock those gentlemen. We do not know this new book but through the article above; we, therefore, cannot say anything about it. We can only attest that the author of this critic announces, perhaps without seeing its reach, a great and fecund truth, that arts and literature will find in Spiritism a rich mine to explore. We said long ago: one day there will be the Spiritist art, as there was the Pagan art and the Christian art. Yes, the poet, the writer, the painter, the sculptor, the musician, even the architect will find plenty of sublime inspiration in this new source, when they explore somewhere else other than the bottom of a closet. Théophile Gautier was the first one to enter the field, through a fundamental book full of poetry. He will have followers, no doubt. “Spiritism will perhaps provide the French genius with the marvelous necessary to every well-conditioned epic” – this might already be a result not to be neglected. (see the Spiritist Review, December 1860, Spiritist Art, the Pagan Art and the Christian Art).