The Female Hypnotist: Stories from the Victorian and Edwardian Eras Edited by Donald K Hartman
Publisher: Themes & Settings in Fiction Press
Genre: Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rated: 4 stars
Reviewed by SnapdragonA collection of twelve short stories and two novelettes from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, organized around the theme of the female hypnotist. The book also contains an extensive annotated bibliography of 19th and early 20th century novels, dimes novels, and short stories having female hypnotists/mesmerists as characters.
To capture a phrase from one of the stories herein: These collected works generate a ‘curious fascination’ in the reader. Are they thrillers? I would say, more chillers: These are clever, unpredictable tales, with varying levels of a creepiness factor.
The first is both eerie and intriguing, as well as beautifully written–by Louisa May Alcott in fact, although this story might not quite fit what we expect from her. We begin ‘A Pair of Eyes; or Modern Magic,’ with misgiving, as from the opening paragraph we hear mention of Lady Macbeth, and quite a fascination with her eyes…
‘The Facts of the Ratcliff Case,’ by Edward Page Mitchell likewise fascinates, as we immediately begin to speculate that our main character was hypnotized, purposefully, at the start. At first it seems quite a friendly event…but then, we begin to suspect purpose…
From revenge to mystery, scandal to outrage, each has its strange appeal. I was startled to find more than one Arthur Conan Doyle work here – and yet, they fit. They do indeed fit.
The pace of these stories, along with their presentation of mood, all are well suited to one another. They seem indeed to draw the reader into them, until we feel the ‘haunting’ of each, far more than simply reading it. They share a cleverness of language, situation, and are utterly unpredictable.
I recommend this work to anyone looking for the unpredictable, or readers who enjoy the paranormal.