Alas Poor Ghost
5/5
()
About this ebook
In the rational modern world, belief in the supernatural seemingly has been consigned to the worlds of entertainment and fantasy. Yet belief in other worldly phenomena, from poltergeists to telepathy, remains strong, as Gillian Bennett's research shows. Especially common is belief in continuing contact with, or the continuing presence of, dead family members. Bennett interviewed women in Manchester, England, asking them questions about ghosts and other aspects of the supernatural. (Her discussion of how her research methods and interview techniques evolved is in itself valuable.) She first published the results of the study in the well-received Traditions of Belief: Women and the Supernatural, which has been widely used in folklore and women's studies courses. "Alas, Poor Ghost!" extensively revises and expands that work. In addition to a fuller presentation and analysis of the original field research and other added material, the author, assisted by Kate Bennett, a gerontological psychologist, presents and discusses new research with a group of women in Leicester, England.
Bennett is interested in more than measuring the extent of belief in other worldly manifestations. Her work explores the relationship between narrative and belief. She anticipated that her questions would elicit from her interviewees not just yes or no replies but stories about their experiences that confirmed or denied notions of the supernatural. The more controversial the subject matter, the more likely individuals were to tell stories, especially if their answers to questions of belief were positive. These were most commonly individualized narratives of personal experience, but they contained many of the traditional motifs and other content, including belief in the supernatural, of legends. Bennett calls them memorates and discusses the cultural processes, including ideas of what is a "proper" experience of the supernatural and a "proper" telling of the story, that make them communal as well as individual. These memorates provide direct and vivid examples of what the storytellers actually believe and disbelieve. In a final section, Bennett places her work in historical context through a discussion of case studies in the history of supernatural belief.
Related to Alas Poor Ghost
Related ebooks
The Best Ghost Stories Ever Told Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHands Around [Reigen]: A Cycle of Ten Dialogues Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGoodness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Goblins and Pagodas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Culture Ghost Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAt the Mountains of Madness, The Call of Cthulhu and The Music of Erich Zann Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAfter the Massacre: Commemoration and Consolation in Ha My and My Lai Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unconscious Comedians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Catsitters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Pandora's Box: A Tragedy in Three Acts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll Our Hearts Are Ghosts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Stuff of Dreams: The Weird Stories of Edward Lucas White Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lunar Follies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Following Darkness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Forever Street: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nocturnes and Other Nocturnes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree Gothic Novels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aerialists: Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ant King: and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShame Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Whisper In The Dark Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Yggyssey: How Iggy Wondered What Happened to All the Ghosts, Found Out Where They Went, and Went There Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Static 82/83 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiana of the Crossways — Complete Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Earth Wire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen Dogs Bark the Short Story: Dogs Bark, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVirgin With Butterflies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hauntings Fantastic Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Petticoat Men Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Social Science For You
The Body Is Not an Apology, Second Edition: The Power of Radical Self-Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Secret Garden: Women's Sexual Fantasies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come As You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All About Love: New Visions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5100 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (Oprah's Book Club Selection) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Human Condition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Alas Poor Ghost
1 rating0 reviews