THE ART OF MAGICFRSEM-UA 575
Freshman Seminar • Spring 2016 • New York University
Professor Christopher Stahl ()
Office Hours: By Appointment • 411 Lafayette Street, Room 417
Thursdays 3:30-6:00pm
GCASL Room 274
Course Overview
Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, the French watchmaker who is universally recognized father of modern stage magic, once famously remarked that “a magician is an actor playing the part of a magician.”This does not mean that a magician must work hard to convince an audience he has real supernatural powers; instead, he suggests that there is some sort of unique cultural role that the magician might have to play. After all, Robert-Houdin was hired by the French government in the 1850s to catch bullets in front of startled Algerian colonial subjects as part of a savvy plan to discredit the spiritual authority of Muslim clerics and forestall a violent native uprising.
More recently, cultural theorist Simon During claims that magic, in its development as an art form over the past few centuries, has “helped provide the terms and content of modern culture’s understanding and judgment of itself.” This seminar will consider magic—not as an anthropological or supernatural phenomenon, but as an artistic stage practice with its own aesthetic history and values—in order to investigate how certain tricks and illusions can stage the cultural and philosophical issues of the day.
Writing will be an important component of this class. After all, how do you even write about—to say nothing about analyzing—a magic trick? And by what standards will you evaluate that trick’s aesthetics? A further paradox: magic tends to be a secretive practice, yet some magicians can be very artful in their self-presentation. This means that sources of information for research can be ephemeral or need careful excavation. Part of this class will address how to assemble and evaluate—and write about—primary source material for historical research. Above all, this is a class about learning how to make a critical inquiry in a creative and imaginative way. It is at the same time an investigation in how to write aesthetically, across artistic disciplines.
Required Texts
The following texts are available at the NYU Book Center
Modern Enchantments: The Cultural Power of Secular Magic, Simon During, 2002.
Wonder Shows: Performing Science, Magic, and Religion in America, Fred Nadis, 2005.
The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic: Or How to Become a Wizard, Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin (trans. Professor Hoffmann), 1877.
Art & Artifice and Other Essays on Illusion, Jim Steinmeyer, 2006.
Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear, Jim Steinmeyer, 2003.
Other essays and short articles will be assigned throughout the semester. We will be using many other texts which have entered the public domain and are thus free for download. Links to those texts will be made available two weeksbefore they are due to be read.
Requirements and Assessment
Over the course of the semester, you will be assigned two short investigative essays of approximately 3 pages each. You will also be assigned a short research project(6-8 pages) as your culminating experience. A significant part of your grade will come from a prepared presentation on the assigned material, as well as prepared responses to other students’ presentations. The final portion of your grade will be based on your overallpreparation for each class and the quality of your participation.
Short Essay 115%
Short Essay 215%
Presentation and Responses30%
Final research project30%
Participation and Preparation10%
Presentation and Response
Every student will be required to lead a 30-minute presentation on some aspect of the material. The presentation must be accompanied by a one-page hand-out to help other seminar participants investigate the material or find a new way to approach the ongoing issues of the class. You will also write a one-page follow-up where you reflect on the presentation.
Additionally, each student must sign up as a formal respondent for two seminar sessions. Your task for each session where you are a respondent will be to generate a short (2 page) reading response with discussion questions to help your peers dig deeper into the material. As a respondent, you will also be called on to lead the class discussion of your peers’ presentations for that week.
Writing Assignments
You will be required to complete two short essays of approximately 3-4 pages (plus works cited) each over the course of the seminar. Each paper will account for 15% of your total grade.
The first, which will test your ability to read primary source materials with a careful and critical eye, will be due February 25. The second, which will ask you to imagine the initial production conditions of a well-known magic trick, will be due March 31.
A culminating research project (of approximately 6-8 pages) will be due in the final class.
Field Trips and Extra Credit
Over the course of the semester, we will attend at least one live magic show. A small co-pay may be required for this event. Details will be posted on NYU Classes.
Students may also earn extra credit for learning and performing magic tricks over the course of the semester. Details and requirements for this opportunity will be posted on NYU Classes.
NYU Classes and Electronic Texts
Each student will be subscribed to NYU Classes, which serves as means for distributing class information and continuing discussions outside of the room. Students are responsible for material and information disseminated on NYU Classes and for posting responses in a timely manner. To access NYU Classes, sign into NYU Home and click on the Academics tab. The link to the NYU Classes site will be on the right-hand side of the page.
Some of the essays we read will only be available on-line. In cases where an on-line essay is assigned, you will be responsible bringing a copy of that text(or a portion of that text, as needed) to the class for which it is assigned. Please do not rely on your peers to have a copy.
Electronic Devices
Please be sure to shut off all cell phones, smart phones, iPads, and laptops at the beginning of the class. Laptops and other electronic reading devices can be used in class only for assigned material or by prior permission from the instructor. Students who abuse this privilege by texting, checking email, or responding to social media during a class session will be barred from using technology at the discretion of the instructor.
Writing Center
The Writing Center is a place where any NYU student can get help with his or her writing. It is an environment where one-on-one teaching and learning occur, as students work closely with professional consultants at every stage of the writing process. You should feel free to make use of this resource for additional assistance or feedback on exercises, drafts, and final essays. All Writing Center sessions are 40-45 minutes long. Please try to schedule your appointment in advance of the due date for your paper. This will give you ample time to prepare for the session and revise afterwards. To schedule an appointment using the online system, please go to If you haven’t used the Writing Center before, you will be prompted to register. Then you will be able to log in and make your appointment.
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
Don’t do it. Plagiarism is a violation of the academic community we strive to create in this class. Students discovered committing plagiarism will receive failing grades for the assignment in question and will have their cases remanded to their advisor as well as the appropriate Academic Dean. The College of Arts and Science policies and discussions of Academic Integrity, as well as other related resources, can be found at
Attendance and Decorum
Because much of the learning in writing courses occurs through active discussion and in-class writing rather than through lectures, it is essential that you attend class, come prepared, and participate. Absences or habitual lateness will lower your grade, even though you may have completed their required assignments. Explain the reason for an absence at the time it occurs. Documented medical conditions and the observance of religious holidays are legitimate excuses for absences; however, you are still responsible for what has been missed.
One unexcused absence will be permitted with no questions asked. A second absence will require a doctor’s note or similar authorization. After a third absence, you will be required to meet with your advisor in order to pass the course. A fourth absence is grounds for automatic failure of the seminar.
Accommodation
Students seeking accommodation for hearing and visual impairments, mobility impairments, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, chronic illnesses, and psychological impairments must first register with the Moses Center ( The Moses Center functions to determine qualified disability status and to assist students in obtaining appropriate accommodations and services. Services provided are designed to encourage independence and self-advocacy, backed by a comprehensive system of supports.
Course Overview
Introduction: What is Magic?January 28
Unit One: Magic and Modern Life
This unit looks at the self-conscious development of “modern magic” during the latter half of the 19th century. We will examine such primary source materials as Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin’sSecrets of Conjuring and Professor Hoffman’s Modern Magic, texts that helped to define the look and ethos of contemporary stage magic. We will also examine the work of magic theorist Simon During and contemporary magic historian Jim Steinmeyer.
This unit also asks questions about historiography: as scholars, how do we develop an archive of material to look at? How do we learn to read that archive? What does the archive for something like stage magic consist of?
February 4 / Issues of Magic History and Research; Beginning of the Magic ShowDuring, Modern Enchantments (pgs. 1-42)
Anonymous, Hocus Pocus Junior: The Anatomie of Legedemain (on-line)
February 11 / Robert-Houdin and theSoireesFantastique
During,Modern Enchantments (pgs. 74-106)
Robert-Houdin, Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, author, and conjuror.: pgs. 31-45; 175-190; 238-240; 286-308; 308-321 (on-line)
February 18 / Modern Magic: The Legacy of Robert-Houdin
During,Modern Enchantments (pgs. 107-134)
Professor Hoffman,Modern Magic(on-line; pgs. 1-10; 502-511)
Professor Hoffman,Conjuror Dick(on-line ; selections)
Robert-Houdin,The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic(pgs. 19-36; 42-44;
65-88)
February 25 / The Golden Age: From Magic to Illusion
Steinmeyer,Hiding the Elephant, pgs. 3-18, 47-70, 73-90, 161-176
Steinmeyer,Art and Artifice, pgs. 49-76
Unit Two: The Incredible Re-appearing Magician
This unit compares the role of magic and the figure of the magician in popular and mass culture in both the 19th and the 21st centuries. Around the turn of the 20th century, stage magic was one of the most popular performance forms in the United States, and well-respected in much of Europe. The affairs of well-known figures like Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston were public news. At that point, the image of the magician was often a tuxedo-clad gentleman who would amaze and delight his audience. Now, that image—and the cultural position of magic—has changed. Figures like Siegfried and Roy channel a kind of showbiz glamour, while figures like Criss Angel evokes something darker.
As we work with cultural historians like Fred Nadiss, film theorists like Matthew Solomon, and anthropologists like Graham Jones, we will ask: What has changed? What has stayed the same in the representation and the self-presentation of the magician? And what of the tricks themselves? In what ways does a magic trick engage with or reflect its cultural and historical ethos?
March 3 / The Magician in the City: Houdini!!!(and Others)Houdini,The Right Way To Do Wrong,pgs. 64-68; 92-96 (on-line)
Nadis,Wonder Shows, pgs. 113-137
Steinmeyer,Hiding the Elephant, pgs. 147-157; 241-256
Simml, "The Metropolis and Mental Life"(on-line)
March 10 / Darker Magics: Race, Conjuring, and the Performance of Miracles
Chireau, "Black Herman's African American Magical Synthesis" (on-line)
Hankins and Benson,Conjure Times,pgs. 36-61 (on-line)
Stahl, "Outdoing Ching Ling Foo", pgs. 151-174 (on-line)
March 24 / The Magician on the Street: David Blaine and Mediated Magic
Benjamin, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (selections; on-line)
Biressi and Nunn, Reality TV: Realism and Revelation (on-line;
pgs. 131-143)
Carr, "Ready for Prime Time" (on-line)
Gopnik, "The Real Work" (on-line)
The Amazing Randi, "PhenomenonExamined" (on-line)
March 31 / The Cutting Truth: The Skeptical Magician and the Body of the Assistant
Coppa, "The Body Immaterial: Magicians' Assistants and the Performance of Labor" (on-line)
Higginbothan, "The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi"
(on-line)
Nadis,Wonder Shows, pgs. 138-175
Steinmeyer,Art & Artifice, pgs. 77-106
Unit Three: Art and Magic
This unit examines the relationship between stage magic and other, more culturally recognized art forms. What makes stage magic an art form and not just a skillful display of manual dexterity? And if it is an art form, how does it relate to (and differ from) other forms of art, like theater or film or photography? How has stage magic been depicted in contemporary art and culture?
We will begin this unit with Plato, who warned that magic and art are related in their ability to trick the unwary mind. We will then explore texts such as Reginald Scott’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft, which was used by Shakespeare as a source for his plays, and the essays of Walter Benjamin, which argue for an understanding of enchantment as a critical lens for seeing the modern world. Finally, we will consider contemporary artists (such as Matthew Barney and Hiram To) whose works reference stage magic and stage magicians.
April 7 / Magic and Theatre: Imitation/Wonder/PerformanceMaskelyne and Devant,Our Magic,pgs. 1-42, 65-76, 85-100 (on-line)
Olf, “The Actor and the Magician” (on-line)
Steinmeyer,Art & Artifice, pgs. 7-47
April 14 / Magic and Photography: Ghosts/Spirits/Materializations
Apraxine, “The ‘Margery’ Case” (on-line)
Firenze, “Spirit Photography” (on-line)
Hopkins,Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography, pgs. 55-68 and 423-449 (on-line)
Steinmeyer,Hiding the Elephant, pgs. 21-43
April 21 / Magic and Cinema: Trick Films and the Birth of Special Effects
During,Modern Enchantments, pgs. 135-177
Solomon, "Theatrical Conjuring and the Trick Film" (on-line)
Solomon, "Magicians and the Magic of Hollywood Cinema During the 1920s" (excerpts; on-line)
April 28 / Magic in Fine Art: Magician as Inspiration/Trick as Form
McAlear, "Disappearing Acts" (on-line)
Rapaport, "Houdini's Transformation in Visual Culture" (pgs. 18-50;
on-line)
Stahl, "Taking Bullets" (on-line)
Tomkins, "His Body, Himself" (pgs. 50-59; on-line)
Conclusion: Locating WonderMay 5