History Extra podcast Ghosts, grief and the paranormal
Oct 27, 2025
Alice Vernon, a 19th-century literature lecturer and author of 'Ghosted,' dives into the intriguing world of ghost hunting. She reveals how the past 200 years shaped our fascination with the paranormal, sparked by figures like the Fox Sisters and the rise of spiritualism. Vernon discusses the impact of technology, including spirit photography, on belief systems. Personal experiences and societal changes influence ghost narratives, and she reflects on how grief fuels our search for connection beyond the grave.
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Ghosts As Lingering Echoes
- Alice Vernon defines a ghost as a lingering echo of something that was once alive but now isn't.
- This framing links ghost stories across cultures as manifestations of unresolved presence or message.
Fox Sisters Kickstart Spiritualism
- The Fox sisters in 1848 started two-way spirit communication using knocks and became the face of spiritualism.
- Their technique turned ghost contact into a popular transatlantic movement for contacting the dead.
Photography Boosted Spirit Claims
- Photography amplified spiritualist claims because the new medium seemed to capture spirits as visible evidence.
- Manipulated spirit photographs exploited public unfamiliarity with the technology for credibility.
