Theater der Magie – Magie des Theaters. Das Beispiel der Affaire des poisons (1676–1682)

Abstract

Abstract Focusing on the historico-cultural context of the Affair of the Poisons (1676–1682), the following article deals with the complementarity of magic and theatre which manifests itself on the one hand in the spectacular features of magic rituals and on the other in the illusionary effects of the comedy La Devineresse written by Thomas Corneille and Jean Donneau de Visé. Under recourse to New Historicism, the transitions between magical and aesthetic illusion are examined as well as the different conditions of building credibility which are specific for both phenomena: While the theatricality of magical acts contributes to their authentication as it appears in the case files of the affair, magical effects on stage produce two opposite views: the creation of illusion and credibility on the intratextual level and the breaking of illusion and the concomitant challenge of credibility on the extratextual level. Due to the two levels of theatrical communication, La Devineresse represents an important contribution to the demystification of magical practices during the scandal of poisons.