silver-age-magicians

Describes later magicians who lived during the decline of magic, focusing more on scholarship and less on effective magical practice.

1 chapter across 1 book

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (2004)Susanna Clarke

5. Magicians, as we know from Jonathan Strange's

This chapter discusses the contentious debate among magicians regarding what qualifies as a legitimate book of magic, emphasizing that true books of magic should be authored by practicing magicians rather than theorists or historians. It highlights the historical decline of English magic, noting that the most renowned magicians of the Golden Age left little written work, while the subsequent Silver Age magicians were more scholarly and less effective practitioners. The chapter thus explores the tension between magical practice and scholarship during the waning periods of English magic.