This book explores Spiritualism as an interpretive community shaped by the shared readings of ghost stories among its members. It posits that, while acknowledging the connections to both religion and science, Spiritualism primarily functioned as a literary community that drew on fictional ghost narratives to underpin its beliefs in the afterlife. The argument highlights that ghost stories significantly influenced Spiritualism's practices and ideologies more than any single religious text. Furthermore, it asserts that Spiritualism's literary nature fostered a dialogue between religious and scientific discourses, emphasizing the role of readers' interpretations. Overall, this book contributes to existing scholarship by framing Spiritualism as a community reliant on the themes and messages of ghost stories, thereby showcasing the interdependence between the two.

Lorena MacMillan is Professor of English at United States Naval Community College, USA. Previous publications include “The Afterlife of Charles Dickens: His Posthumous Impact on Nineteenth Century Spiritualism” in Dickens Studies Annual (2022), and “The Curious Case of Mr. and Mrs. Holmes” in The Journal of Victorian Culture Online (2022).