Presenters
Abstract
Alchemy sits astride the world of science and magic. Practiced in Renaissance and early modern times as a means to create the philosopher’s stone its methods were precursors to modern chemistry. Heavily entwined with symbolism alchemy used astrology and other sources to explain each of the critical steps toward building the philosophers stone, an object that could grant prolonged or eternal life, health, and spiritual rewards. Alchemy was also believed to be the means to turn lead into gold and therein lies its root in chemistry. Deborah Harkness’s The All Souls Trilogy, the first of which is The Discovery of Witches, combines science and magic in a work of fiction that develops around alchemy and its symbolism. The folklore of witches and vampires is the framework upon which the story evolves. This presentation will discuss Harkness’s popular trilogy as a work of both science and magic and explore how this goal is accomplished by the author who is also a historian of science.