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Cajetan Tschink (22 April 1763 – 26 August 1813) was an Austrian writer, philosopher, and professor whose literary work primarily focused on skepticism of the supernatural. His most prominent work was the Gothic fiction Geschichte eines Geistersehers. Aus den Papieren des Mannes mit der eisernen Larve, translated into English by Peter Will as The Victim of Magical Delusion.
Tschink's most prominent novel was Geschichte eines Geistersehers. Aus den Papieren des Mannes mit der eisernen Larve, which was translated into English by Peter Will as The Victim of Magical Delusion.Bridgwater, 2013: 204. The novel describes supposed spiritual apparitions that are shown to be images produced by a simple magic lantern projector. The various tricks presented are performed by a mysterious figure called Alumbrado (a reference to the Alumbrados, a Spanish mystic sect suppressed by the Inquisition) who makes miracles to convince people God speaks and acts through him, serving his ends of an Illuminati conspiracy.Ellis, 2010: 92–93.
Much of Tschink's work is didactic, with clear lessons, where the credulous characters are mocked for falling for the delusions. This contrasts with the fact that the popularity of the Gothic genre comes from incredulous elements, and relied on them for sales.
The quick adoption of Geisterseherroman by Tschink was followed by other imitations of Schiller, including Karl Friedrich Kahlert's Der Geisterbanner The, Carl Grosse's Der Genius
The prominence of "explained supernatural" stories in German gothic stories lasted from 1780 to 1799 was strongly influenced by two Tschink works: Geschichte eines Geistersehers and another novel entitled Wundergeschichten sammt dem Schlüssel zu ihrer Erklärung. Due to the translation into English by Peter Will, Tschink also influenced the English Gothic literary scene.
The Victim of Magical Delusion was outsold by the similar works from Kahlert and Grosse in England. Contemporary reviews were mixed: the August 1795 edition of The Monthly Review called it "one of those numberless imitations to which the Ghost-Seer of the celebrated Schiller has given rise in Germany," while The Critical Review was positive, noting how Tschink showed "how easily a mind addicted to superstition may be deceived by the most common appearances at certain times and under certain impressions."Bridgwater, 2013: 181.
Influence and reception
Through The Victim of Magical Delusion, Tschink (as well as Schiller, Kahlert, and Grosse through their novels) was influential to William Godwin, who read Will's English translation, and wrote Lives of the Necromancers.Bridgwater, 2013: 255–256. Charles Brockden Brown was introduced to Gothic fiction through Tschink's work, and was influenced by him when writing , the first American gothic novel. The preferred intellectual ambience of early American literature favoured Tschink and Schiller over English Gothic writers Horace Walpole and Matthew Lewis due to the rational explanations behind supposedly supernatural phenomena.
Works
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