Magic and Masculinity: Ritual Magic and Gender in the Early Modern Era by Frances Timbers

Abstract

Reviewed by: Magic and Masculinity: Ritual Magic and Gender in the Early Modern Era by Frances Timbers Samaya Borom Timbers, Frances, Magic and Masculinity: Ritual Magic and Gender in the Early Modern Era, London, I. B. Tauris, 2014; hardback; pp. 304; 10 b/w illustrations; R.R.P. £56.00;; ISBN 9781780765594. Early modern England witnessed the intersection of religion, philosophy, and science, at the same time that conceptions of gender ideologies and worldviews were also shifting, all of which contributed to new interpretations of magic. Frances Timbers here expertly documents the interaction of conceptions of manhood and masculinity with the practice of ritual magic and in so doing presents a new perspective on a frequently overlooked aspect of contemporary magic and magical practice. [End Page 249] Chapter 1 addresses the distinction between ceremonial magic and witchcraft: magic was the artful manipulation by learned men of the natural world though alchemic means, the study of classical manuscripts and texts, and complex rituals; witchcraft was seen to be confined largely to illiterate women caught up in a social/psychological phenomenon. Timbers’s exploration covers the elaborate ritual preparations found in the Clavicula Salomonis (Key of Solomon), through to drawing the reader’s attention to the difference between superstitious behaviour then, and now in the modern world. Chapter 2 further explains the role of masculinity and magic. The practice of magic was often viewed as an alternative path to manhood. It could also serve as a clever way of making a living, as in the example of William Hills (c. 1651) who would be visited by the local constabulary for insights into cases (p. 42). In Chapter 3, ‘Fraternity and Freemasons’, Timbers describes how processes of ritual and magic came to be incorporated into certain social practices further cementing the connection between magic and masculinity. Chapters 4 and 5 provide insights into John Dee, Edward Kelley, and John Pordage. Religious philosophy is seen to have influenced magical ritual and thought through the invocation of angels and spirits, which, Timbers argues, allowed masculine identities to be reworked into acceptable masculine traits (p. 104). The theme of masculine representation and sexuality in ritual objects and philosophy continues into Chapter 6, ‘Swords, Satan and Sex’, while Chapter 7, ‘Fairies and Female Magicians’, illustrates the relationship between women and the spirit world. Timbers observes that ‘Magic, as practiced by women, became a foil for the intellectual, scientific and religious associations that male magicians tended to foster’ (p. 120). Self identity and belief in demons, angels, and spirits are further explored in Chapter 8, aptly titled ‘Magical Metaphors’. According to Timbers, it was often the perception of the fantastical within the realm of reality that drove personal narratives surrounding magic and involvement in it. With Magic and Masculinity, Timbers has expertly mapped out the evolution of the construction of masculinity as it was embodied in ritual items, spaces, and philosophy. She has also provided an interesting comparison to gendered social attitudes to magic and ritual, one that was also involved in shaping contemporary understandings of magic and witchcraft. [End Page 250] Samaya Borom Charles Sturt University Copyright © 2016 Samaya Borom