The Trickster and the Paranormal

[TheInvisibleDan]

I just came across some information about a book on "trickster mythology". It looks like a very interesting read - has anyone here read it?

From http://www.forteantimes.com/articles/175_trickster1.shtml

On the Trail of the Trickster: an interview with George P Hansen

by Mark Pilkington

Books about fortean phenomena tend either to examine the study from the cold, dispassionate distance of the sociologist, or from the blinkered, tunnel-visioned insider’s perspective of the believer or sceptic. It’s rare for an author to take the position of what we could call Schr?ger’s Fortean, in which one can study the field simultaneously from within and without, thus gaining an intimate understanding of the unusual, often bizarre dynamics of our chosen arena while also being aware of its relationship to the wider culture.

In his book The Trickster and the Paranormal, George Hansen manages to do this admirably, and with enough gusto and enthusiasm to carry the reader through 400 pages that encompass trickster mythology, all manner of paranormal phenomena and their attendant personalities, sociology, anthropology, folklore, semiotics, even literary theory. It’s a bumpy, disorientating ride at times, and Hansen’s conclusions remain open to multiple interpretations, all of them sure to be as refreshing and controversial to the hard-nosed skeptic as they are to the literalist believer. Naturally it’s an essential read for the serious fortean, and one that could just revolutionise the way you think about the phenomena that so fascinate us.

http://www.tricksterbook.com/

from the link "Sociology":

Max Weber on Charisma

Charisma is central to Max Weber’s theories of authority, power, and domination. He clearly explained that pure charisma required the working of miracles, and he specifically mentioned prophecy, telepathy, and weather control as manifestations of pure charisma.

Weber’s concepts of rationalization, disenchantment, and bureaucratization are well known. They entail the attenuation and routinization of charisma. As cultures become more rationalized, miracles and magic (i.e., overt control of paranormal and supernatural powers) are suppressed. A variety of institutions are agents for rationalization and disenchantment. Academe is such a force, as are most exoteric religions.

Magic and miracles are never fully eliminated from the world, rather they are expelled from the conscious awareness of cultural elites. They view them as fiction. Indeed, large industries portray the paranormal in and as fiction. In financial terms, these industries dwarf those that attempt to apply psychic powers.

Weber’s theory of charisma was integrated with his ideas on authority. Pure charisma is the primordial source of authority, but bureaucracy is inimical to pure charisma. Consequently, those who directly attempt to apply psychic powers almost always do so outside the purview of large bureaucratic institutions.

The trickster is a figure of marginality and of transition. Typically the paranormal is marginalized by establishment elites, but in times of cultural transition, it becomes more publicly prominent. Likewise, charismatic leaders attain greater visibility in times of significant transition.

[laleo]

No, I haven't read the book you mention, but if you scoll down to the week of March 28, Sound and Spirit did a show on the trickster that you might enjoy. At least I liked it when it was broadcast however many months ago.

I've never studied paranormal activity, but in literature, the trickster is the character whose presence is meant to disrupt. Tricksters don't generally try to amass power, but rather usurp it for its own sake. Just because. A trickster is often a comic figure, but subversive. Definitely subversive. I don't think I've ever read a story that included a trickster who had paranormal skills. At least in American literature, the trickster is the unruly, often contradictory, character who overthrows the established order. Funny and shrewd, but still of this earth. I don't know about how the trickster functions in world mythology, but I would think some of the attributes are the same, except maybe with a little more magic.

[TheInvisibleDan]

Thank you Laleo for the most enjoyable link to "Sound and Spirit".

I was also very delighted to recently find the NPR playlist for my area, to find out the title to a classical piece I heard on the radio one evening. Occassionally an announcer rattles off the name of a composer whose name oft times is not spelled as I might have imagined.

Danny