Sympathetic attractions
Subtitle: magnetic practices, beliefs, and symbolism in eighteenth-century England
By: Patricia Fara.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Princeton, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 326
Subjects: Magnets -- England -- History -- 18th century.; Science -- England -- History -- 18th century.
Other titles: Magnetic practices, beliefs, and symbolism in eighteenth-century England
Description: In this interdisciplinary study of eighteenth-century England, Patricia Fara explores how natural philosophers constructed magnetism as a science, appropriating the skills and knowledge of experienced navigators. For people of this period, magnetic phenomena reverberated with the symbolism of occult mystery, sexual attraction, and universal sympathies; in this maritime nation, magnetic instruments such as navigational compasses heralded imperial expansion, commercial gain, and scientific progress.

By analyzing such multiple associations, Fara reconstructs cultural interactions in the days just prior to the creation of disciplinary science. Not only does this illustrated book provide a kaleidoscopic view of a changing society, but it also portrays the emergence of public science.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [269]-317) and index.