The Rhetorical Goddess: A Feminist Perspective on Women in Magic

Although female magicians have existed since the rise of entertainment magic, women have faced difficulty in entering the “fraternity” of the magic community. As an art form largely based around persuasion, it is useful to study the performance of magic as a text. It is additionally useful to study female magicians within this context of rhetoric. Not only will examining the rhetoric of female magicians provide insights on the rhetoric of women in this unique arena, but also of women in a historically gendered and underrepresented field. Research into this area may disclose other details regarding the communicative differences between women and men and how communication is adapted within a gendered communication paradigm

Hocus Pocus: The Magic Within Trade Secret Law

This Note will discuss why trade secret law is the most appropriate form of IP protection for magicians seeking to protect their secrets. First it will discuss the background information on IP protections offered to magicians, specifically within copyright, patent, and trade secret law. After examining previous cases in which magicians have sought protection for their work using each of these different types of IP laws, it will then analyze why trade secret law is the best form of IP protection for magicians

Law, Robert Cornwell, b. 1937 (SC 2421)

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2421. Correspondence and miscellaneous ephemera related to magicians, magic shows, and magic tricks or illusions of Robert Law, Franklin, Kentucky. Includes membership information from the Society of American Magicians, manuscript formats of shows presented by Law, and a brief diary about his performances

After the Prestige: A Postmodern Analysis of Penn and Teller

By mocking the magic community and revealing the secret behind some of their tricks, Penn and Teller perform a kind of parodic and post-modern “anti-magic.” Penn and Teller display an artful use of rhetoric; in exposing the secrets and shortcomings of conjuring, they are revolutionizing the way people think about both the art of magic and the magic community. Individuals such as Penn and Teller may use parody to subvert the hegemonic interpretations. However, we also know that it is difficult to bring down a system while operating within that system. Thus, this article explores the way Penn and Teller are challenging the metanarrative of the magic community, using several of the duo’s more popular illusions as examples for analysis. Ultimately, this paper should help us gain a better understanding of the way parody can be used to challenge hegemonic conceptions, and the limitations of this type of rhetorical approach

Psychotic and autistic traits among magicians and their relationship with creative beliefs

BackgroundThere is a common perception that creativity is associated with psychopathology. Previous studies have shown that members of creative groups such as comedians, artists and scientists scores higher than the norm on psychotic traits, and scientists in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields score highly on autistic traits.AimsTo test whether magicians, a creative group that has not been studied before, also score highly on psychopathological traits and autism, and to test the associations of creative self-efficacy and creative identity with schizotypal and autistic traits among magicians.MethodA sample of 195 magicians and 233 people from the general population completed measures of schizotypal traits (Oxford–Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences) and autism (Abridged Version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient), as well as the Short Scale of Creative Self. Magicians were also compared with other creative groups with respect to schizotypal traits, based on previously published data.ResultsMagicians scored lower than the general population sample on three of the four schizophrenia measures (cognitive disorganisation, introvertive anhedonia and impulsive nonconformity) but did not differ with respect to unusual experiences or autism scores. Magicians scored higher on creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity than the general sample. Magicians’ scores on schizotypal traits were largely lower than those of other creative groups. Originality of magic was positively correlated with unusual experiences (r = 0.208), creative self-efficacy (r = 0.251) and creative identity (r = 0.362).ConclusionsThis is the first study to show a creative group with lower scores than norms on psychotic traits. The results highlight the unique characteristics of magicians and the possible myriad associations between creativity and mental disorders among creative groups

City of Magic: Aesthetic Value in the Los Angeles Magic Scene

In the vast Los Angeles entertainment complex, magic is often deemed one of the lowest forms of performance art, unworthy of respect or critical evaluation. In response to mainstream aesthetic evaluations that routinely devalue magical performance, Los Angeles magicians engage in a variety of strategies designed to re-legitimize the world of magic. Chief among these strategies is the construction of a competing aesthetic value system, one that allows magicians to reject mainstream assumptions about magic’s artlessness and instead reassert magic as a form of genuine artistic expression. However, this new aesthetic system comes with its own brand of hierarchization, one that aligns the concept of “good magic” with the white, heteromasculine subject. Because of this, female magicians and magicians of color can often find it difficult to penetrate the upper echelons of the magic community. By exploring the roots and consequences of magic’s devaluation, this dissertation uses participant observation and in-depth interviews to interrogate the ways in which Los Angeles magicians navigate the aesthetic value systems that undergird magical performance. In this way, we can investigate the broader impact that aesthetic devaluation has had on how magicians are debased, derided, and disregarded within the modern entertainment machine—not just by laymen, but by each other

Achieving the impossible : A review of magic-based interventions and their effects on wellbeing

Research has demonstrated that involvement with mainstream performing arts, such as music and dance, can boost wellbeing. This article extends this work by reviewing little-known research on whether learning magic tricks can have an equally beneficial effect. We first present an historic overview of several magic-based interventions created by magicians, psychologists and occupational therapists. We then identify the potential benefits of such interventions, and review studies that have attempted to systematically assess these interventions. The studies have mostly revealed beneficial outcomes, but much of the work is of poor methodological quality (involving small numbers of participants and no control group), and has tended to focus on clinical populations. Finally, we present guidelines for future research in the area, emphasizing the need for more systematic and better-controlled studies.Peer reviewe

The Laws of Magic

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Law works around truth; magic works around deception. What ties the two together? In 2012, Gerard Bakardy showcased his illusion titled, “The Rose and Her Shadow” in a YouTube video and offered to reveal his secrets to viewers for $3,050. Magicians Penn and Teller, the creators behind “Shadows,” accused Bakardy of copyright infringement and filed a lawsuit. But Bakardy argues that simple, everyday tricks that are a part of the common knowledge should not be subject to copyright protection. When do magic and law intersect? What areas of law, if any, protect magicians and their secrets? Topics include: • Whether copyright law, trademark law, or trade secrets legally protect magicians and their tricks • The legal limitations to protecting magic tricks • Perhaps a magic trick or two…..https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/iilp/1071/thumbnail.jp