Net of Magic: Wonders and Deceptions in IndiaUniversity of Chicago Press, 1991 M06 11 - 455 páginas Vast like the subcontinent itself and teeming with outrageous and exotic characters, Net of Magic is an enthralling voyage through the netherworld of Indian magic. Lee Siegel, scholar and magician, uncovers the age-old practices of magic in sacred rites and rituals and unveils the contemporary world of Indian magic of street and stage entertainers. Siegel's journeys take him from ancient Sanskrit texts to the slums of New Delhi to find remnants of a remarkable magical tradition. In the squalid settlement of Shadipur, he is initiated into a band of Muslim street conjurers and performs as their shill while they tutor him in their con and craft. Siegel also becomes acquainted with Hindu theatrical magicians, who claim descent from court illusionists and now dress as maharajahs to perform a repertoire of tricks full of poignant kitsch and glitz. Masterfully using a panoply of narrative sleights to recreate the magical world of India, Net of Magic intersperses travelogue, history, ethnography, and fiction. Siegel's vivid, often comic tale is crowded with shills and stooges, tourists and pickpockets, snake charmers and fakirs. Among the cast of characters are Naseeb, a poor Muslim street magician who guides Siegel into the closed circle of itinerant performers; the Industrial Magician, paid by a bank, who convinces his audience to buy traveler's checks by making twenty-rupee notes disappear; the Government Magician, who does a trick with condoms to encourage family planning; P. C. Sorcar, Jr., the most celebrated Indian stage magician; and the fictive Professor M. T. Bannerji, the world's greatest magician, who assumes various guises over a millennium of Indian history and finally arrives in the conjuring capital of the world—Las Vegas. Like Indra's net—the web of illusion in which Indian performers ensnare their audience—Net of Magic captures the reader in a seductive portrayal of a world where deception is celebrated and lies are transformed into compelling and universal truths. |
Contenido
Elements of Magic | 1 |
Birds and Fire | 7 |
Ropes and Air | 121 |
Mirrors and Water | 223 |
Bones and Earth | 357 |
Words and Ether | 441 |
Bibliography | 445 |
List of Illustrations | 453 |
Acknowledgments | 455 |
Términos y frases comunes
amazing Anangasena ancient asked audience Ayasan basket believe BIRDS AND FIRE blood BONES AND EARTH Brahmin Calcutta Chand Pasha child conjuring crowd cups and balls damaru dark death Delhi Dhanamitra Doug Henning duck explained eyes fakir father fingers fool guru hand hashish head Hindu holy Ibrahim Pasha illusion Indian magic Indian magicians Indian Rope Trick Indra Indra's Net Indragopa Kabir Kashmir king laughed laughter levitation looked magic show magic trick maharaja Mandana Mishra mantras māyā Mayeshvari MIRRORS AND WATER Mohammad Shah Muladeva Naseeb once P. C. Sorcar Patañjali perform pigeon play Premanand Professor Bannerji Professor M. T. Bannerji real magic reality ring ROPES AND AIR rupees Sanskrit secret seemed Shadipur Shankar sleights smiled snake Srinagar stage magicians street magicians sword tell things told turned vanished Vishvasiddhi watch wonder words World's Greatest Magician yogi
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Narrative Gravity: Conversation, Cognition, Culture Rukmini Bhaya Nair Sin vista previa disponible - 2003 |