Cajetan Tschink (22 April 1763 – 26 August 1813) was an Austrian writer, philosopher, and professor whose literary work primarily focused on skepticism of the supernatural. His most prominent work was the

Gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

''Geschichte eines Geistersehers. Aus den Papieren des Mannes mit der eisernen Larve'', translated into English by Peter Will as ''The Victim of Magical Delusion''.

Biography

Cajetan Tschink was born on 22 April 1763 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He was of Hungarian background. Tschink joined the

Carmelite Order , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

in 1780, but left before receiving his ordination and in 1792 attended the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

to study philosophy. Tschink's philosophical focus was the work of

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

, and he held a position as professor of philosophy at the University in Olmütz (modern day Olomouc, Czech Republic) where he taught and wrote on logic, metaphysics, and practical philosophy. He stayed in this position until his death on 26 August 1813.

Genre and style

Tschink worked within the

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

genre that was popular in Germany in the 1790s. He was an early adopter of the Gothic form of ''Geisterseherroman'' ("Necromancer novel" lit. ghost-seer novel"), which was invented by

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

with his unfinished 1789 novel '' Der Geisterseher.'' ''Geisterseherroman'' is characterized by fraudsters and charlatans trick the gullible by using seemingly supernatural means, the machinations of which are revealed to the audience to have mundane explanations through

phantasmagoria Phantasmagoria (, also fantasmagorie, fantasmagoria) was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images, such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts, onto walls, smoke, or semi- ...

-style stage effects such as

trap doors A trapdoor is a sliding or hinged door in a floor or ceiling. It is traditionally small in size. It was invented to facilitate the hoisting of grain up through mills, however, its list of uses has grown over time. The trapdoor has played a pivot ...

, hidden mirrors, translucent veils, and pyrotechnics, and through technologies such as the

moving panorama The moving panorama was an innovation on panoramic painting in the mid-nineteenth century. It was among the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, with hundreds of panoramas constantly on tour in the United Kingdom, the United States, a ...

eidophusikon The ''Eidophusikon'' ( el, Ειδωφυσικον) was a piece of art, no longer extant, thought up by the English actor David Garrick and created by 18th-century French painter Philip James de Loutherbourg. It opened in Leicester Square in Lond ...

, and

magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a si ...

. Tschink's most prominent novel was ''Geschichte eines Geistersehers. Aus den Papieren des Mannes mit der eisernen Larve'', which was translated into English by Peter Will as ''The Victim of Magical Delusion''. The novel describes supposed spiritual apparitions that are shown to be images produced by a simple magic lantern projector. The various tricks presented are performed by a mysterious figure called Alumbrado (a reference to the

Alumbrados The (, ''Illuminated'') was a term used to loosely describe practitioners of a mystical form of Christianity in Spain during the 15th-16th centuries. Some were only mildly heterodox, but others held views that were clearly Christian heresy, heret ...

, a Spanish mystic sect suppressed by the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

) who makes miracles to convince people God speaks and acts through him, serving his ends of an

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...

conspiracy. Much of Tschink's work is didactic, with clear lessons, where the credulous characters are mocked for falling for the delusions. This contrasts with the fact that the popularity of the Gothic genre comes from incredulous elements, and relied on them for sales. The quick adoption of ''Geisterseherroman by'' Tschink was followed by other imitations of Schiller, including

Karl Friedrich Kahlert Karl Friedrich Kahlert (25 September 1765 – 8 September 1813) also known by the pen names Lawrence Flammenberg or Lorenz Flammenberg and Bernhard Stein was a German author of gothic fiction. He is best known for '' The Necromancer; or, The Tale ...

's '' Der Geisterbanner'' 'The Necromancer''

Carl Grosse Carl Friedrich August Grosse (5 June 1768 – 15 March 1847) also known as Edouard Romeo Vargas-Bedemar was a German author, translator, aesthetic philosopher, and mineralogist. He is best known for his Gothic fiction, gothic novel ''Der Genius'', ...

's ''Der Genius'' '

'Horrid_Mysteries''">Horrid_Mysteries.html"_;"title="'Horrid_Mysteries">'Horrid_Mysteries''_G._Bücher's_''Der_Geisterseher._Eine_venetianische_Geschichte_wundervollen_Inhalts'',_and_C._A._G._Seidel's_''Die_Geisterseherinn'',_all_of_which_were_written_in_the_mid-1790s._Unlike_Schiller,_who_emphasized_the_psychological_elements_of_the_supernatural_delusions,_Tschink_was_interested_in_the_machinery_of_the_delusions,_providing_exhaustive_detail_of_his_explanations.Bridgwater,_2013:_182–183._Tschink's_description_of_a_magic_lantern-induced_spectral_image_predates_the_famous_illusion_Pepper's_ghost.html" "title="Horrid_Mysteries''.html" ;"title="Horrid_Mysteries.html" ;"title="'Horrid Mysteries">'Horrid Mysteries''">Horrid_Mysteries.html" ;"title="'Horrid Mysteries">'Horrid Mysteries'' G. Bücher's ''Der Geisterseher. Eine venetianische Geschichte wundervollen Inhalts'', and C. A. G. Seidel's ''Die Geisterseherinn'', all of which were written in the mid-1790s. Unlike Schiller, who emphasized the psychological elements of the supernatural delusions, Tschink was interested in the machinery of the delusions, providing exhaustive detail of his explanations.Bridgwater, 2013: 182–183. Tschink's description of a magic lantern-induced spectral image predates the famous illusion Pepper's ghost">Pepper's Ghost Pepper's ghost is an illusion technique used in the theatre, cinema, amusement parks, museums, television, and concerts. It is named after the English scientist John Henry Pepper (1821–1900) who began popularising the effect with a theatr ...

by more than fifty years.

Influence and reception

Through ''The Victim of Magical Delusion,'' Tschink (as well as Schiller, Kahlert, and Grosse through their novels) was influential to William Godwin, who read Will's English translation, and wrote ''Lives of the Necromancers''. Charles Brockden Brown was introduced to Gothic fiction through Tschink's work, and was influenced by him when writing '' Wieland: or, The Transformation: An American Tale'', the first American gothic novel. The preferred intellectual ambience of early American literature favoured Tschink and Schiller over English Gothic writers

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

and Matthew Lewis due to the rational explanations behind supposedly supernatural phenomena. The prominence of "explained supernatural" stories in German gothic stories lasted from 1780 to 1799 was strongly influenced by two Tschink works: ''Geschichte eines Geistersehers'' and another novel entitled ''Wundergeschichten sammt dem Schlüssel zu ihrer Erklärung''. Due to the translation into English by Peter Will, Tschink also influenced the English Gothic literary scene. ''The Victim of Magical Delusion'' was outsold by the similar works from Kahlert and Grosse in England. Contemporary reviews were mixed: the August 1795 edition of ''

The Monthly Review ''The Monthly Review'' (1749–1845) was an English periodical founded by Ralph Griffiths, a Nonconformist bookseller. The first periodical in England to offer reviews, it featured the novelist and poet Oliver Goldsmith as an early contributor ...

'' called it "one of those numberless imitations to which the Ghost-Seer of the celebrated Schiller has given rise in Germany," while ''

The Critical Review ''The Critical Review'' was a British publication appearing from 1756 to 1817. It was first edited by Tobias Smollett, from 1756 to 1763. Contributors included Samuel Johnson, David Hume, John Hunter, and Oliver Goldsmith. Early years The ...

'' was positive, noting how Tschink showed "how easily a mind addicted to superstition may be deceived by the most common appearances at certain times and under certain impressions."Bridgwater, 2013: 181.

Works

* ''Geschichte eines Geistersehers. Aus den Papieren des Mannes mit der eisernen Larve'' (Vienna: Franz Jakob Kaiserer, 1790–1793) * ''Unparteiische Prüfung des zu Rom erschienenen kargen Inbegriffs von dem Leben und Thaten des Joseph Balsamo oder sogenannten Cagliostra'' 'Disamina imparziale del compendio della vita e delle gesta di Giuseppe Balsamo denominato il conte Gagliostro''(Vienna: Franz Jakob Kaiserer, 1791) * ''Wundergeschichten sammt dem Schlüssel zu ihrer Erklärung'' (Vienna: Franz Jakob Kaiserer, 1792) * ''Grundriß der Logik'' (Olomouc: Skarniczl, 1802) * ''Elementa Logicae'' (Olomouc: Skarniczl, 1806)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tschink, Cajetan 1763 births 1813 deaths Writers from Vienna 18th-century Austrian philosophers 18th-century Austrian writers Writers of Gothic fiction Metaphysicians Rationalists Austrian skeptics University of Jena alumni Academic staff of Palacký University Olomouc

Biography

Genre and style

Influence and reception

Works

See also

References