This book examines magic's generally maleficent effect on humans from ancient Egypt through the Middle Ages, including tales from classical mythology, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim cultures. It shows that certain magical motifs lived on from age to age, but that it took until the Italian Renaissance for magic tales to become fairy tales.

REVIEW

“Thought provoking and wide ranging, Bottigheimer’s volume should be of significant interest for a variety of different disciplines, from literary studies to history of ideas. … This is an interesting and serious volume that deserves our attention and respect … .” (Armando Maggi, Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 68 (4), 2015)

Format: Paperback
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan (Springer Nature)
Publication Date: Jan 1, 2014