Essay on the Extraordinary Revival of English Magic, &c

The Essay on the Extraordinary Revival of English Magic, &c. was written by John Waterbury, Lord Portishead, in 1814. Portishead was a theoretical magician and, at the time, a strong proponent of Gilbert Norrell's perspective on magic. Norrell naturally praised the book as "an excellent little work", for it faithfully echoed his own views; while Jonathan Strange commented with some irony that "he has certainly done everything we asked. Two long chapters attacking the Raven King and scarcely a mention of fairies at all" [37].

However, two months later in January 1815, Strange gave his true opinion of the book in The Edinburgh Review. His chief criticism of Portishead's work was that it deliberately suppressed all mention of the Raven King in conformity to Norrell's hostile view of him, which Strange then went on to attack vehemently. In fact, his review was chiefly a severe critique of the Norrellite concept of magic, and Portishead's Essay is used only as convenient vessel for the attack [37][38].* Nevertheless, regardless of the actual influence of the Essay, Strange's review of it was a key component in the quarrel that resulted in the ending of his pupillage under Norrell and the subsequent breach between the two men [39].

The phrase "Revival of English Magic" is perhaps taken from the title of Lord Portishead's book.

Notes

*. This is the same purpose given for the book review form expounded by Henry Lascelles in his arguments to Mr Norrell on publishing, namely that the form is principally a vehicle for one's own views, and the work being reviewed is merely a convenient horse by which to pass through the metaphorical gates of Troy [11].