Witchcraft and illusion. The staging of magic in Spanish and French theatre of the 17th century

• Applicant: Dr. Anna Isabell Woersdoerfer
• Subject Area: European and American Literary and Cultural Studies ; General and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 431647111

• Final Report Year: 2025

Final Report Abstract

The project was dedicated to the comparative cultural-historical and aesthetic analysis of Spanish and French theatre from 1600 to 1685. Focusing on the staging of magic and its effects, it examined innovations in rhetoric, acting, and early modern stage technology through an in-depth analysis. This study underscored Baroque theatre as a milestone and a pioneering force in the evolution of European theatre. The project pursued three overarching goals: At the theoretical level, the concept of theatricality was employed to develop an analytical model for describing the staging of magic in both historical and theatre-aesthetic contexts. At the micro level, a close reading of Spanish and French plays from various subgenres, along with historical documents, examined the linguistic and performative techniques used to stage magical acts. On the macro level, a comparative analysis of Spanish and French theatre traditions identified similarities, differences, and long-term developments in the depiction of magic. Methodologically, the project combined approaches from anthropology/ethnology, linguistics/rhetoric, and literature/theatre studies. As a fundamental result, the project demonstrated a threefold process of progress in Spain and France, with distinct developments specific to each country. In general, the 17th century, as a transitional phase between ancient and modern thought, saw increasing secularization, scientification, and mechanization. These processes can be precisely analyzed through the historical classification of magic into magia daemoniaca, magia naturalis, and magia artificialis: Demonic magic declined in significance due to the gradual abandonment of superstition, while rational explanations prevailed. Natural magic evolved from astrology, alchemy, and miracle medicine into modern astronomy, chemistry, and medicine. Artificial magic, particularly in the theatre, was perfected as a technical illusion through increasingly sophisticated stage technology. For a follow-up study on magia daemoniaca and the staging of the devil, the project proposes a more focused approach within French literary history while expanding the temporal scope from the Middle Ages to the present. This second project will trace the diachronic evolution of magic from deceptive illusion to illusionist art over the longue durée and examine diabolical hybridity as a catalyst for creativity.

Publications

• „Mächtige Zauberin, verlassene Frau – verweichlichte Helden, dominierende Männer. Geschlechteridentitäten in Bewegung am Beispiel barocker Kirke- Dramen.“ In: Milan Herold, Claudia Jacobi (Hg.): Geschlechter(re)inszenierungen im Drama des 17.–20. Jahrhunderts, zugleich PhiN-Beiheft 26 (2021), S. 92–108
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell
  
• Kulturelle Performance und künstlerische Aufführung. Peter Lang Verlag.
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell & Homann, Florian
  
• Zwischen medizinischer Expertise, Spektakel und Kommerz. Rituelle und theatrale Praktiken des Scharlatans. Kulturelle Performance und künstlerische Aufführung. Peter Lang Verlag.
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell
  
• Dämonologische Mengenlehre. Menge und Krankheit, 37-52. Brill | Fink.
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell
  
• „Von Teufelsanbetern, Möchtegerndetektiven und anderen Literaturverrückten. Die obsessive Lektüre als intertextuelles Krankheitsbild in Arturo Pérez-Revertes El Club Dumas (1993).“ In: Tobias Berneiser, Frank Estelmann (Hg.): Literatur als Obsession zwischen Cervantes’ Don Quijote und der Gegenwart. Münster: LIT 2023, S. 111–130. ISBN: 978-3-643-14318-1
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell
  
• Ars diaboli. Teuflische Formen – Formen des Teuflischen. Paderborn: Brill / Fink 2024 (= Medienkulturwissenschaft, 6). ISBN: 978-3-7705-6801-7
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell & Rieger, Dietmar (Hg.)
  
• Das Diabolische des Dämonologen. Ars diaboli, 411-439. Brill | Fink.
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell
  
• Magie-Theater im 17. Jahrhundert. De Gruyter.
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell
  
• Französisches Sprechtheater, spanisches Bühnenspektakel? Eine Revision länderspezifischer Präsenzeffekte magischer Erscheinungen auf der frühneuzeitlichen Theaterbühne. Simulatio. Theatertechniken in Literatur, Medien und Wissenschaft, 139-158. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell
  
• Transkulturelle Karrieren italienischer Bühnentechniker. Daphnis, 53(2-3), 478-504.
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell
  
• Von der kreativen magia daemoniaca zum Teufel als Künstler Spanisch-französische Stationen der ars diaboli vom 17. bis 20. Jahrhundert. Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen(1).
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell
  
• Von der magia daemoniaca zur magia artificialis. Semantiken der Illusion und Performanz des Teufelsbündners auf der spanischen Barockbühne. Dämonie der Illusion – L’illusion et le démoniaque, 257-274. De Gruyter.
  Wörsdörfer, Anna Isabell