Strange Revelations: Magic, Poison, And Sacrilege in Louis XIV's France (Magic in History) [Paperback]

Lynn Wood Mollenauer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0271029161 | ISBN-13: 978-0271029160 | Publication Date: January 30, 2007

The Affair of the Poisons was the greatest court scandal of the seventeenth century. From 1679 to 1682 the French crown investigated more than 400 people - including Louis XIV's official mistress and members of the highest-ranking circles at court - for sensational crimes. In 'Strange Revelations,' Lynn Mollenauer brings this bizarre story to life, exposing a criminal magical underworld thriving in the heart of the Sun King's capital. The macabre details of the Affair of the Poisons read like a gothic novel. In the fall of 1678, Nicolas de la Reynie, head of the Paris police, uncovered a plot to poison Louis XIV. La Reynie's subsequent investigation unveiled a loosely knit community of sorceresses, magicians, and renegade priests who offered for sale an array of services and products ranging from abortions to love magic to poisons known as 'inheritance powders.' It was the inheritance powders (usually made from powdered toads steeped in arsenic) that lent the Affair of the Poisons its name. The purchasers of the powders gave the affair its notoriety, for the scandal extended into the most exalted ranks of the French court. Mollenauer adroitly uses the Affair of the Poisons to uncover the hidden forms of power that men and women of all social classes invoked to achieve their goals. While the exercise of state power during the ancient regime was quintessentially visible - ritually displayed through public ceremonies - the affair exposes the simultaneous presence of other imagined and real sources of power available to the Sun King's subjects: magic, poison, and the manipulation of sexual passions. Highly entertaining yet deeply researched, 'Strange Revelations' will appeal to anyone interested in the history of court society, gender, magic, or crime in early modern Europe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Strange Revelations effectively explores the multiple ways in which power was exercised at the court of Louis XIV, focusing on the 'hidden forms' effected through poison and magic. Mollenauer does an excellent job of probing these issues through close analysis of the records left to us concerning the 'Affair of the Poisons.' --James R. Farr, Purdue University

The latest in the distinguished Magic in History series of the Pennsylvania State University Press, Lynn Wood Mollenauer's Strange Revelations: Magic, Poison, and Sacrilege in Louis XIV's France (2007) is a well-researched and convincing introduction to and nearly definitive book on the subject. This paradoxical fact results from the lack of further sources for research: thus Mollenauer has done just about all that can be done on poisoning and black magic in late seventeenth-century Paris. --Orest Ranum, H-France Book Reviews

This book is a worthy contribution to the Magic in History Series: in fact, it is spellbinding. --Camille Weiss, Renaissance Quarterly

About the Author

Lynn Wood Mollenauer is Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State Univ Pr (January 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271029161
• ISBN-13: 978-0271029160
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good look into the world of poison, November 16, 2007

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Senna777 "cartfan" (california) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Strange Revelations: Magic, Poison, And Sacrilege in Louis XIV's France (Magic in History) (Paperback)

As a graduate student in early modern Europe I thought this book was well done. The book focuses on the poison issue in Louis XIV's France. There is a clear shift in the methods of investigation--meaning each case was carefully examined. The Affair of the Poison was a major event only because members of Louis's court were accused or targeted.


1. The author does not ramble and use every possible quote from accusations, etc. Enough are used to support the flow of her argument, and the pages are not flooded with testimonies. It contrasts "In the Devil's Snare" where the author flooded the pages with testimony after testimony creating a tedious read.

2. Well written and well organized.

3. If your interested in witchcraft/poisons/potions/etc of early modern Europe this is a good book. Furthermore, you do not need to be an expert on the subject matter to understand the argument.


If you are a history student focusing on early modern Europe, get this book. I would also suggest "The Bewitching of Anne Gunther"