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.
About the presenterIsabelle Platt Flemming
BA, MA, MLS,:ReferenceLibrarian/Computer Specialist/Instructor at the Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich, Illinois. Member of the National Coalition of Independent Scholars. MLS: from the University of Illinois; MA: History/ History of Science, minor Early Modern Europe, University of Florida. BA: Psychology, Northeastern Illinois University. Various articles published through SAGE publications. “The reference interview in real time and in virtual time / Isabelle Flemming and Lesley Farmer appears in the reference book for librarians, Using Qualitative Methods in Action Research: how librarians can get to the why of data, edited by Drs. Doug Cook and Lesley Farmer (2011). In April, 2011, Isabelle presented a paper on the influence of popular culture on the design and style of costume jewelry at the 2011 Joint Conference of the National Popular Culture & American Culture Association and the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture & American Culture Association in San Antonio, Texas. She has presented papers at the 2013 MAPACA Conference in Atlantic City New Jersey, November 2013, the Southwest Conference held in Albuquerque in February of 2014, as well as at the National Conference in Chicago in April 2014.