May I throw another name into the discussion? I have heard it said that the Christian novelist and poet Charles Williams, friend of Tolkien and Lewis, had been an occultist when young. Certainly his books use occult material, though only in association with his villains. I do not know what evidence there is, if any.Jacqueline SimpsonFrank Ripel, one of the most important persons in modern Egyptian Freemasonry, believes that Lovecraft is an occult writer.EugeneFrom: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Arild
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 5:58 PM
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Subject: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] SV: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] SV: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] British writers who are occultistsCan you be more specific?ArildFra: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] På vegne av Eugene Kuzmin
Sendt: 16. juli 2014 16:31
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Emne: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] SV: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] British writers who are occultistsAt least Lovecraft's ideas received occult interpretation in Egyptian masonry.Dr. Eugene KuzminFrom: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Arild
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 4:45 PM
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Subject: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] SV: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] British writers who are occultistsHPL was definitely not, as far as I’ve understood from his biography. DW is dubious. He wrote about occult matters, but being an occultist? If so, how?ArildFra: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] På vegne av William
Sendt: 16. juli 2014 15:28
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Emne: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] British writers who are occultistsHello;H P Lovecraft and Dennis Wheatley were definitely Occultists.Cheers
On 15 Jul 2014, at 15:31, Susan Johnston Graf <[log in to unmask]> wrote:Dan and everybody,Thanks so much for all the great suggestions and for the opportunity to discuss my project with knowledgeable folks. I’ve learned some things and redefined my direction. I might just be able to get that sabbatical proposal completed in time J. Thank you all!Susan Johnston Graf, Ph.D.Associate Professor of EnglishPenn State Mont Alto,Mont Alto, PA 17237From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Daniel Harms
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 10:18 AM
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Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] British writers who are occultistsTo add a couple thoughts of my own:You might track down Marsha Schuchard's dissertation Freemasonry, Secret Societies, and the Continuity of the Occult Traditions in English Literature. That has a good amount of material on Blake, and it might provide some other sources.Samuel Taylor Coleridge once corresponded with John Denley to obtain books for a series of lectures on the supernatural, although that doesn't make him an occultist by any means.Sincerely,DanFrom: Society for The Academic Study of Magic <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Susan Johnston Graf <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2014 10:08 PM
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Subject: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] British writers who are occultistsColleagues,I write with a question. I am thinking about British writers and occultism. Some of you know me or my work. I have written a book on W. B. Yeats and occultism and have a book forthcoming on Yeats, Blackwood, Machen, and Fortune and the Golden Dawn. Now I am thinking about writers who were (or may have been, or are reputed to have been) occultists of some sort and were writers in the first two-thirds of the 19th century before the Golden Dawn was established. So far I have Blake (questionable, but Yeats claims it, so it should be looked at), Dante Gabrielle Rosetti , and Bulwer-Lytton. Does anybody out there have any thoughts on others I might include in my study? And Leigh Blackmore, if you are out there, your work is invaluable. I agree with you that Bram Stoker is not among the group. I’m asking about writers who would consciously be reading about occultism and maybe practicing it. The Golden Dawn didn’t exist yet, so it is not the thing. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this query, and thanks in advance for any thoughts.In gratitude for this list and all the awesome scholars on it who allow me not to be working in a vacuum,SusanSusan Johnston Graf, Ph.D.Associate Professor of EnglishPenn State Mont Alto,Mont Alto, PA 17237