Introduction
The connection between magic and detective fiction runs deeper than most readers might suspect. As Rebecca Josephy reveals in her conversation on The Magic Book Podcast:
"The thing that surprised me, I think, the most was the extent and the breadth of the overlap between magic and detective fiction. But I didn't realize how extensive the link was, how many practicing magicians were also mystery writers, how many magic references, performance magic in particular, were in detective fiction."
Dr. Rebecca Josephy, an associate professor of French at Oakland University and editor of "Magic, Magicians, and Detective Fiction: Essays on Intersecting Modes of Mystery," joined me to discuss this groundbreaking collection examining how magic and magicians have influenced detective fiction since its inception. During our conversation, we discussed Rebecca's own research on Arsène Lupin, the surprising connections between performance magic and mystery writing, and how magic appears in detective fiction across different cultures.
From Religion to Magic: Rebecca Josephy's Scholarly Journey
Rebecca's path to exploring the magic-detective fiction connection wasn't straightforward. As a scholar specializing in French language and literature with a focus on religion, she noticed intriguing parallels between religion, magic, and detective fiction.
"So detective fiction has traditionally and historically been associated with rational scientific thought. When most people think of detective fiction, they immediately think of Sherlock Holmes. And so they think of this sort of hyper-rational, almost inhuman-like character. And yet despite this ode to reason, detective fiction is, in my opinion, deeply theological."
She elaborates on this theological function: "The detective becomes a sort of god-like creature in his or her intellectual ability to solve the most complex mysteries and the reader really believes in the detective in his or her extraordinary abilities."
Rebecca's journey into magic and detective fiction was further sparked by a series of academic conferences in 2019 where she noticed multiple presentations on the topic. This, combined with her own research on Conan Doyle, led her to discover the famous friendship between Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini—a relationship that would prove emblematic of the deeper connections between magic and mystery.
Editing "Magic, Magicians, and Detective Fiction"
As editor of this unique collection of essays, Rebecca faced both challenges and discoveries. While pitching the book to publishers proved surprisingly easy—McFarland expressed interest within a week—finding contributors during the COVID pandemic was more difficult.
The book's organization evolved during the editing process. Originally arranged chronologically, the structure changed following peer review: "When I saw it in black and white is when I realized, 'Oh, this is neat. This allows the reader to understand the importance of magic in the genre on a functional, theoretical, and narrative level, before going into the history of it.'"
This approach highlighted the fundamental connections between magic and detective fiction, such as impossible crimes and misdirection, before delving into historical context.
Arsène Lupin: The Magician Thief
Rebecca's own essay in the collection explores how author Maurice Leblanc drew from the French magic scene of the Belle Epoque to create the character of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief.
"When I really drilled down on what it is in the Arsène Lupin character that I love so much—what allowed me to read it, you know, dozens of times without losing interest—I think when you really drill down, it's because he is a magician. He's a character who is deeply surprising. He can be a rich prince one day, the next day a pauper. He's old one moment in the text, young in another."
This chameleon-like quality makes Lupin endlessly fascinating: "If there's one static thing about Arsène Lupin, it's that Arsène Lupin is not static. He's infinitely changeable, infinitely malleable. You never know what he has up his sleeve and he always, like any good magician, he always has something up his sleeve!"
Rebecca's research revealed direct references to real magicians within the Lupin stories: "In the very first story of the Arsène Lupin 'Gentleman-Cambrioleur'—'Gentleman Thief' series, there's a long description of Lupin where the narrator explains the gentleman thief had apprenticed under the magician Dicksonn." Later stories mention his work with "the hypnotist and illusionist, Pickman."
These weren't fictional characters but actual prominent magicians of the period, establishing Lupin as "not just magic-like, but trained as a professional magician."
Magicians and Crime Fiction: The Golden Age Connection
One of the most startling revelations in Rebecca's book is the sheer volume of magic-related detection stories during the Golden Age of detective fiction (1910-1940). The book includes an appendix listing over 500 stories and novels featuring magic-related detection published during that period in English alone.
The book identifies different categories of magic in detective fiction, from occult detectives investigating paranormal activity to stage performers-turned-detectives and detectives with paranormal abilities.
Contributor Neil Tobin, featured in the previous episode of The Magic Book Podcast, brought a performer's perspective to the collection. Rebecca notes how his essays "brought the writers to life for me. He brought the magician societies to life for me. He wrote about different magician-writers and how they had very real publishing concerns, not to mention concerns about how magic would be perceived."
Magic Beyond the Western Tradition
The final section of the book expands beyond performance magic to examine "magical thinking, magic realism, irrationality, the fantastical, fantasy, and the supernatural" in detective fiction from Japan, Russia, and Mexico.
Rebecca was particularly drawn to include Japanese detective fiction:
"From the start of the project, it was important for me to find someone who worked on Japanese literature because even though I hadn't read much Japanese literature, what I had read felt very magical to me."
This led her to discover the works of Edogawa Ranpo (a play on "Edgar Allan Poe"), who she describes as having "this really uncanny way of getting under your skin with references to magic, but he intertwines it with horror."
Looking Ahead: Future Research
Rebecca sees many opportunities for further exploration of magic and detective fiction, including contemporary authors, children's literature, the Conan Doyle-Houdini connection, Jewish detective fiction, African detective fiction, and Spanish language detective fiction.
She's currently working on a book exploring the Book of Daniel in mystery and detective fiction, continuing to investigate the deep connections between religious texts and detective narratives.
Conclusion
Rebecca Josephy's work illuminates the fascinating intersection between magic and detective fiction, revealing how these seemingly disparate art forms share fundamental techniques of misdirection, impossible scenarios, and revelation. From Arsène Lupin's magical transformations to the hundreds of magic-related mysteries of the Golden Age, the connection proves both extensive and enduring.
"Magic, Magicians, and Detective Fiction: Essays on Intersecting Modes of Mystery" is available from McFarland Press and most book retailers.
Timestamps
00:01 Introduction
01:49 Rebecca's path to magic and detective fiction
07:15 Role as editor
08:39 Magical connections that surprised her
10:38 Zi-Ling Yan's typological approach
13:34 Neil Tobin's performer viewpoint
15:54 Book organization and structure
19:06 Maurice Leblanc and Arsène Lupin
21:02 Appeal of the gentleman thief character
23:10 Real magician references in Lupin stories
26:55 Victorian magician autobiographies
28:42 Magic in Grant Allen's "An African Millionaire"
30:26 Magic in fiction from Japan, Russia, and Mexico
33:58 Supernatural detective fiction
35:17 Rebecca's experience with magic shows
38:50 Reactions to the book
39:25 Future collection possibilities
41:07 Current research on the Book of Daniel
42:13 Recommended reading
Books and References Mentioned
Magic, Magicians, and Detective Fiction: Essays on Intersecting Modes of Mystery edited by Dr. Rebecca Josephy
The Typology of Detective Fiction by Tzvetan Todorov (referenced)
Many Magics by Robert Neale (referenced)
Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Cambrioleur by Maurice Leblanc
An African Millionaire by Grant Allen
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Works by Edogawa Ranpo
Bleak House by Charles Dickens (referenced)
Literary Illusions: Performance Magic and Victorian Literature by Chris Pittard