The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and FairiesNew York Review of Books, 2007 - 95 pages Late in the seventeenth century, Robert Kirk, an Episcopalian minister in the Scottish Highlands, set out to collect his parishioners’ many striking stories about elves, fairies, fauns, doppelgangers, wraiths, and other beings of, in Kirk’s words, “a middle nature betwixt man and angel.” For Kirk these stories constituted strong evidence for the reality of a supernatural world, existing parallel to ours, which, he passionately believed demanded exploration as much as the New World across the seas. Kirk defended these views inThe Secret Commonwealth, an essay that was left in manuscript when he died in 1692. It is a rare and fascinating work, an extraordinary amalgam of science, religion, and folklore, suffused with the spirit of active curiosity and bemused wonder that fills Robert Burton’sAnatomy of Melancholyand the works of Sir Thomas Browne.The Secret Commonwealthis not only a remarkable document in the history of ideas but a study of enchantment that enchants in its own right. First published in 1815 by Sir Walter Scott, then re-edited in 1893 by Andrew Lang, with a dedication to Robert Louis Stevenson,The Secret Commonwealthhas long been difficult to obtain—available, if at all, only in scholarly editions. This new edition modernizes the spelling and punctuation of Kirk’s little book and features a wide-ranging and illuminating introduction by the critic and historian Marina Warner, who brings out the originality of Kirk’s contribution and reflects on the ongoing life of fairies in the modern mind. |
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Robert Kirk. COMMONWEALTH AN ESSAY ON THE NATURE AND ACTIONS OF THE SUBTERRANEAN ( AND FOR THE MOST PART ) INVISIBLE PEOPLE , HERETOFORE GOING UNDER THE NAME OF ELVES , FAUNS & FAIRIES BY ROBERT KIRK INTRODUCTION BY MARINA WARNER Late in ...
Robert Kirk. COMMONWEALTH AN ESSAY ON THE NATURE AND ACTIONS OF THE SUBTERRANEAN ( AND FOR THE MOST PART ) INVISIBLE PEOPLE , HERETOFORE GOING UNDER THE NAME OF ELVES , FAUNS & FAIRIES BY ROBERT KIRK INTRODUCTION BY MARINA WARNER Late in ...
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actions ALBERTO MORAVIA Anatomy of Melancholy angels ANSWER appear asked beast believe betwixt body Book called carried cause century charm continual conveyed creatures cure curiosity dead death distance earth enchanted evil fairies falling familiar fear follow frequently Gaelic ghosts give habit hand head Highlands hill inhabitants invisible Irish James John kind King Kirk Kirk's knew known late learned light living London look Lord lore magic minister nature night OBJECTION observed original perceived person Peter powers present Press reason relations reported Robert Robert Kirk Scotland Scots Scottish second sight Secret Commonwealth seen seer sense seventh sometimes souls speak species spell spirits standing stories strange subterranean tell things thought tion told tradition University usually vision whole witches Yeats