Somnambulism and mesmerism

July 22, 2005 6:02 PM

To witness the decline of the Enlightenment in American culture, one could do worse than to begin by examining the case of Jane C. Rider, the "Springfield Somnambulist." With the decline of the Enlightenment rose the pseudo-science of mesmerism, both as a way to cure the mentally ill and as a stage attraction. Given the submissive nature of mesmerism, it occasionally led to abuses, both real and imagined. [more inside]
posted by strikhedonia (4 comments total)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, released in 1920, was the first modern horror movie. It's available for download on the Internet Archive. (It was also the inspiration for this post.)

See also a previous metafilter post on the related subject of sleep paralysis.
posted by strikhedonia at 6:03 PM on July 22, 2005

To witness the decline of the Enlightenment in American culture, one could do worse than to begin by examining

...the almost surreal degree to which religious belief exists and still has power and respect.

Sorry, that was knee-jerk. Nice links.
posted by Decani at 7:40 PM on July 22, 2005

Just take the pill.
posted by Milliken at 4:37 AM on July 23, 2005

Yeah, after reading the first sentence I expected a post about current events. Well, whaddya want? I'm a card-carrying member of the reality-based community. Once I adjusted, though, the content was cool.
posted by Miko at 2:57 PM on July 23, 2005