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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
okay, 1.5 but... really, it was quite meh read. the translator notes annoy me much.
Waller provides a pretty straightforward account of the Dancing Plague of 1518, in which hundreds of people in Strasbourg, Germany, started dancing uncontrollably, stopping only when they collapsed out of exhaustion, and picking up where they left off when they woke. Many people died, others spent days or weeks in constant torment. It’s a fascinating story. Here are a couple interesting quotes, along with my commentary:
Deep in the subconscious minds of those familiar with the state of trance and possession, there is a kind of script, specific to their culture, which channels their feelings and actions. And just as importantly, the same beliefs that guide the trance also make the individual susceptible to it. In super-naturalist cultures, people succumb to the trance state because they expect spirits or demons to commandeer their souls. (84-85)
Waller joins many psychologists in explaining this phenomena as a kind of mass hysteria, where the activity itself stems from a cultural expectation. He argues that this particular dance was spurred by a particularly terrible run of harvests which left the poor even moreso, and up to their eyes in debt (often to the church). St. Vitus’ Dance, as the disease was known at the time, was seen as a punishment for the sinful city.
Not surprisingly, when people stop believing in possession and uncontrollable dancing, they stop being afflicted by it:
The demise of St. Vitus’ Dance is at one level easily explained. Afflictions that depend on the power of suggestion cannot survive without the beliefs that underpin them. Deprived of the supernaturalism on which it subsisted, choreomania was starved out of existence. (187)
Waller goes on to trace the path of uncontrolled physical diseases (like hysteria, PTSD, and the like) that manifest psychological distress. He argues these are all of a piece, and that the society one grows up in determines the expression of these illnesses.
Modern possession rituals also reveal how powerfully the participant’s thoughts and actions are guided by their culture’s beliefs and expectations; in fact, some experts argue that trance is nothing more than a state of extreme suggestibility…. The participants in Haitian Vodou rituals adopt the roles of specific deities drawn from a pantheon of gods with verying personalities. (211)
Of course, this is the explanation offered by many for the Haitian zombie phenomenon. Someone dosed with a tranquilizing drug, and raised in a society that believes zombification is possible might very well believe him/herself to be a zombie. But the notion that the expression of this trauma takes a shape determined, at some unconscious level, by the society around us reminds me a lot of the unconscious processes Burton describes in On Being Certain. We don’t know what strange ideas and habits float around below our consciousness.
Dancing through the night, largely heedless of bodily exhaustion, [ravers] reproduce at least some of the bizarreness of the dancing plague. In this limited sense we might see clubbing as the chemical equivalent of the original St. Vitus’ Dance. Certainly, anyone unconvinced that an altered state of mind could have impelled thousands of people in 1518 to dance for days on end will have their doubts dispelled by witnessing the modern-day clubbing phenomenon. (231)
Overall, it’s an interesting book, with solid research and storytelling, and interesting insight into the maladies of the past and the present.
Deep in the subconscious minds of those familiar with the state of trance and possession, there is a kind of script, specific to their culture, which channels their feelings and actions. And just as importantly, the same beliefs that guide the trance also make the individual susceptible to it. In super-naturalist cultures, people succumb to the trance state because they expect spirits or demons to commandeer their souls. (84-85)
Waller joins many psychologists in explaining this phenomena as a kind of mass hysteria, where the activity itself stems from a cultural expectation. He argues that this particular dance was spurred by a particularly terrible run of harvests which left the poor even moreso, and up to their eyes in debt (often to the church). St. Vitus’ Dance, as the disease was known at the time, was seen as a punishment for the sinful city.
Not surprisingly, when people stop believing in possession and uncontrollable dancing, they stop being afflicted by it:
The demise of St. Vitus’ Dance is at one level easily explained. Afflictions that depend on the power of suggestion cannot survive without the beliefs that underpin them. Deprived of the supernaturalism on which it subsisted, choreomania was starved out of existence. (187)
Waller goes on to trace the path of uncontrolled physical diseases (like hysteria, PTSD, and the like) that manifest psychological distress. He argues these are all of a piece, and that the society one grows up in determines the expression of these illnesses.
Modern possession rituals also reveal how powerfully the participant’s thoughts and actions are guided by their culture’s beliefs and expectations; in fact, some experts argue that trance is nothing more than a state of extreme suggestibility…. The participants in Haitian Vodou rituals adopt the roles of specific deities drawn from a pantheon of gods with verying personalities. (211)
Of course, this is the explanation offered by many for the Haitian zombie phenomenon. Someone dosed with a tranquilizing drug, and raised in a society that believes zombification is possible might very well believe him/herself to be a zombie. But the notion that the expression of this trauma takes a shape determined, at some unconscious level, by the society around us reminds me a lot of the unconscious processes Burton describes in On Being Certain. We don’t know what strange ideas and habits float around below our consciousness.
Dancing through the night, largely heedless of bodily exhaustion, [ravers] reproduce at least some of the bizarreness of the dancing plague. In this limited sense we might see clubbing as the chemical equivalent of the original St. Vitus’ Dance. Certainly, anyone unconvinced that an altered state of mind could have impelled thousands of people in 1518 to dance for days on end will have their doubts dispelled by witnessing the modern-day clubbing phenomenon. (231)
Overall, it’s an interesting book, with solid research and storytelling, and interesting insight into the maladies of the past and the present.
This book did a great job of exploring the cultural niche that existed and caused a plague of dancing. The author follows both the historical context of religious and political corruption, the psychological factors involved in a dancing hysteria, the aftermath of such an event, as well as modern understanding and examples of anxiety-induced episodes: “choreomania offers us an object lesson in how cultural conventions can determine the manner in which pathological anxiety is expressed. Just as importantly, it offers us a striking case study in the extreme suggestibility of our species, especially when under conditions of severe psychological stress” (213). A fascinating look at a bizarre moment in history.
Kinda drags, and it's built on barely an actual information. I feel like this would have been a great 12 page article.
When I saw that there was a book about the dancing plaque, I was immediately intrigued. I had heard of these strange events, but that was really the extent of my knowledge, and I had hoped that Waller's book would give me some more background on them. Unfortunately, I learned more about the time period (specifically, the corruption of the Church) and very little about the illness itself. In addition to the lack of information, I also became annoyed with the repetitive nature of the writing. At several points I asked myself, "didn't I already read this?". After a quick search, I learned that I did, in fact, read a nearly identical paragraph a few pages earlier.
I wanted this book to inform me about the strange cases of people dancing to their death--a riveting plot. Instead, I got a boring, repetitive history lesson.
I wanted this book to inform me about the strange cases of people dancing to their death--a riveting plot. Instead, I got a boring, repetitive history lesson.
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Very well researched and composed narrative about the phenomenon and its echoes in history. I also really enjoyed the final chapter’s connections to social psychology and neurology - that should have been a whole book itself. But this is a very interesting read.
"A time to dance, a time to die" is about unusual and rarely known epidemics that hit central Europe in medieval times: people would suddenly start wildly dancing (apparently not from joy or happiness but like being obsessed, with feet bleeding and sweat pouring off them) and danced for days, many died along the way from exhaustion. Author discusses possible roots of this strange phenomenon and why people behaved like that - epidemic was eventually completely forgotten later but in old city archives we can still find documents about this. its interesting mainly as a look at long gone days when religion completely ruled people's every day lives so perhaps this was taken as a God's punishment.
I loved this book. It reads like a novel even though he is discussing history and science. I do wish it went a bit more in depth, but there is only so much we can know.
informative
slow-paced
As much as I enjoyed the use of the term cheoreomania, I feel that this topic might make a better essay than book. Regardless, it gives you a well rounded look at the place and period as well as the most hardcore rave in history.