Ouija Board: Automatic Writing in My Tussle With the Devil
Dublin Core
Title
Ouija Board: Automatic Writing in My Tussle With the Devil
Description
According to A.H. Pratt, the author who channeled O.Henry's Ghost to write My Tussle With the Devil, he was able to channel the dead man with the help of a ouija board. While there are no ouija boards illustrated throughout the text, a mental image of the board is drawn for the reader on the first page, when the author is describing his inspiration behind writing the book. These boards are commonly used for spirit writings because they claim to help the living and the dead communicate with each other. These boards first appeared at the end of the 19th century, about 20 years before A.H. Pratt would use one to write the text. The board is flat with the alphabet laid out, the numbers 0-9, "yes", "no", and sometimes, "goodbye". These letters and numbers are used by the spirit who is communicating by moving a planchette over the desired symbol.
The late 19th century and early 20th century were a huge time for spiritualism, which explains why ouija boards were so popular. It also explains another motivation for A.H. Pratt to channel O. Henry in order to create his own spirit writing, The lack of full words and only the alphabet might also explain why the author decided to go with short stories and poems instead of a full length novel: if a ghost really was writing this via ouija board, it would take much longer to write a novel than it would to write a poem or a short story, It keeps the text seemingly more authentic to O. Henry despite whether the reader believes in the power of a ouija board or not. O. Henry's ghost even complains about getting tired throughout the text, because he constantly has to move the planchette to tell his stories.
Using ouija boards for spirit writing, or "automatic writing" was not uncommon during this time, especially since this genre was not new. Whether the writer passively holds a pencil to paper and allows the spirit to take over, or channels the spirit through a ouija board, they are not active participants in the creation of the work. Georgie Hyde-Lees, the wife of William Butler Yeats, and Arthur Conan Doyle are among some of the more famous authors who participated in automatic writing.
The late 19th century and early 20th century were a huge time for spiritualism, which explains why ouija boards were so popular. It also explains another motivation for A.H. Pratt to channel O. Henry in order to create his own spirit writing, The lack of full words and only the alphabet might also explain why the author decided to go with short stories and poems instead of a full length novel: if a ghost really was writing this via ouija board, it would take much longer to write a novel than it would to write a poem or a short story, It keeps the text seemingly more authentic to O. Henry despite whether the reader believes in the power of a ouija board or not. O. Henry's ghost even complains about getting tired throughout the text, because he constantly has to move the planchette to tell his stories.
Using ouija boards for spirit writing, or "automatic writing" was not uncommon during this time, especially since this genre was not new. Whether the writer passively holds a pencil to paper and allows the spirit to take over, or channels the spirit through a ouija board, they are not active participants in the creation of the work. Georgie Hyde-Lees, the wife of William Butler Yeats, and Arthur Conan Doyle are among some of the more famous authors who participated in automatic writing.
Creator
Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Source
The Strange and Mysterious History of the Ouija Board
Publisher
Smithsonian Magazine
Date
2013
Rights
Smithsonian Magazine
Format
Article
Language
English
Files
Citation
Linda Rodriguez McRobbie, “Ouija Board: Automatic Writing in My Tussle With the Devil,” Manhattan College Omeka , accessed September 20, 2024, https://omeka-pilot.manhattan.edu/items/show/33.