Spiritualism Movement Begins
Poet involved
What happened
The Fox sisters in Hydesville, New York, claimed to communicate with spirits through rapping sounds, launching the Spiritualism movement that swept across America and Europe. This new form of supernatural belief emphasized communication with the dead rather than malevolent witchcraft, attracting millions of adherents.
Literary impact
Spiritualism profoundly influenced Victorian literature, with poets and writers exploring themes of grief, communication with the dead, and the boundaries between material and spiritual worlds. Authors like Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the Brontës, and later Henry James engaged with Spiritualist ideas, while the movement provided new frameworks for exploring supernatural themes in poetry and fiction.
Source: Wikipedia
