Stage Hypnosis in the Shadow of Svengali: Historical Influences, Public Perceptions, and Contemporary Practices
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STAGE HYPNOSIS IN THE SHADOW OF SVENGALI: HISTORICAL INFLUENCES, PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS, AND CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES Cynthia Stroud A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2013 Committee: Dr. Lesa Lockford, Advisor Dr. Richard Anderson Graduate Faculty Representative Dr. Scott Magelssen Dr. Ronald E. Shields © 2013 Cynthia Stroud All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Dr. Lesa Lockford, Advisor This dissertation examines stage hypnosis as a contemporary popular entertainment form and investigates the relationship between public perceptions of stage hypnosis and the ways in which it is experienced and practiced. Heretofore, little scholarly attention has been paid to stage hypnosis as a performance phenomenon; most existing scholarship provides psychological or historical perspectives. In this investigation, I employ qualitative research methodologies including close reading, personal interviews, and participant-observation, in order to explore three questions. First, what is stage hypnosis? To answer this, I use examples from performances and from guidebooks for stage hypnotists to describe structural and performance conventions of stage hypnosis shows and to identify some similarities with shortform improvisational comedy. Second, what are some common public perceptions about stage hypnosis? To answer this, I analyze historical narratives, literary and dramatic works, film, television, and digital media. I identify nine common beliefs about hypnosis and stage hypnosis, and I argue that the Svengali archetype, introduced in George du Maurier’s1894 novel, Trilby, may have helped shape such perceptions. Third, does the relationship between contemporary practice and public perceptions matter to stage hypnosis as a performance phenomenon? To answer this, I interview volunteer performers and stage hypnotists and analyze my experiences as an audience member and volunteer performer, to determine how differences between perceptions and practices might influence the ways in which stage hypnosis is experienced and/or performed. iv In general, my findings suggest several things. Prior perceptions about stage hypnosis did not correlate with interviewees’ perceptions about their ability to become hypnotized or with their ability to participate in performances. Their prior perceptions did appear to influence their affective experiences of their performances, however; when their experiences did not match their expectations, disappointment, confusion, and/or discomfort often ensued. Furthermore, my research suggests that as a performance event, stage hypnosis forges a contract with the audience which implies that what is presented on stage is “real” and that the volunteers’ behavior is caused by hypnosis. Thus, certain performance conventions seem to both reinforce and perpetuate audience expectations in order to create an entertaining event. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you first and foremost to my dissertation advisor, Lesa Lockford, who enthusiastically supported my interest in this offbeat performance genre and bravely supervised my forays into cognitive studies, neuroscience, and hypnosis research. I am deeply grateful for her time, advice, and support, and for her steadfast refusal to allow me to settle for anything less than my best work. Additionally, I appreciate the diligent and dedicated attention of my dissertation committee: Richard Anderson, Scott Magelssen, and Ronald E. Shields. Their comments and suggestions have been invaluable throughout this process. While every faculty member with whom I have studied at BGSU has influenced my scholarship, two are deserving of special mention: Cynthia Baron and Verner Bingman. They praised some of my earliest work when I was still uncertain of its value, which gave me the confidence to continue. Furthermore, thanks are in order: to my cohort—Chanelle Vigue, Heidi Nees, Kari Anne Innes, and Hephzibah Dutt—for keeping me (mostly) sane through our years together; to Rob Connick, for his invaluable French translations; to Stephen Harrick, for supporting my research from the beginning and for texting every time he found something he thought I could use; to Rick at the Funny Bone, for giving me good seats and even better gossip; and to my friend Chad, for pointing out the obvious in the beginning and then putting up with the consequences ever since. Finally, the lion’s share of my thanks must go to the two great loves of my life: my husband Rob and our son Aiden. Thank you both for your unwavering support of my decision to return to school, even though it often cut into our time together. I could not have completed this work without the two of you cheering me on. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1 Stage Hypnosis: Sampling a Century of Public Perceptions ..................................... 2 Central Research Questions and Objectives .............................................................. 5 Research Methodologies and Principle Sources of Data ........................................... 7 Archival Research/Examining ....................................................................... 7 Interviewing/Enquiring .................................................................................. 8 Interview Questions ........................................................................... 10 Interview Subjects .............................................................................. 11 Interview Procedures ......................................................................... 12 Principles for Editing Interview Responses ....................................... 13 Participant-Observation/Experiencing ........................................................... 16 Limitations of the Study............................................................................................. 18 Specialized Terms and Concepts ............................................................................... 18 Literature Review....................................................................................................... 22 Chapter Breakdown ................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER II. HYPNOSIS AND PERFORMANCE: THE INTERPLAY OF HISTORY, FICTION, AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS .............................................................. 33 Trilby: Cause and Effect ............................................................................................ 35 Hypnotic and Suggestive Phenomena ........................................................................ 42 Mesmerism ................................................................................................................. 43 Franz Anton Mesmer and Animal Magnetism............................................... 44 vii Mesmer, Maria-Theresa Paradis, and Svengali ............................................. 47 Mesmer in Paris: Performance and Perception .............................................. 53 Amand-Marie-Jaques de Chastenet, the Marquis de Puységur ..................... 59 Fluidists and Animists.................................................................................... 62 Contemporary Expressions of Centuries-Old Assumptions ...................................... 64 Mid-Twentieth-Century Perceptions of Hypnosis ......................................... 65 Late-Twentieth- and Early-Twenty-First-Century Perceptions of Hypnosis. 67 CHAPTER III. CONTEMPORARY STAGE HYPNOSIS PERFORMANCE PRACTICES 74 Pre-Show and Introduction of the Hypnotist ............................................................. 75 Pre-Talk and Pre-Tests ............................................................................................... 77 Call for Volunteers ..................................................................................................... 84 Induction Procedure(s) ............................................................................................... 86 Final Volunteer Selection .......................................................................................... 90 Activities Performed by the Volunteers ..................................................................... 94 Termination of Hypnosis and Conclusion of the Performance .................................. 101 Additional Preparation and Planning ......................................................................... 104 CHAPTER IV. AUDIENCE AND VOLUNTEER PERFORMER PERCEPTIONS OF STAGE HYPNOSIS .................................................................................................. 110 “I Really Felt Like I Truly Was” ............................................................................... 113 Kristina Jones ................................................................................................. 113 Jerry Barnett and Wade Niederkohr .............................................................. 115 R. Nicole Hurtsellers ...................................................................................... 121 Chad Paben .................................................................................................... 125 viii “It Didn’t Work on Me” ............................................................................................. 128 Rebecca Blossom and Carissa Burns ............................................................