The history of the oujia board is interesting. I never thought about it like a way to reconnect with loved ones in the afterlife. Today, it's used as a horror trope or a fun prank for teenagers to play with. But, it really can have a deeper meaning than that. It is similar to a prayer or some type of closure after a loved one's death. I imagine how this would especially appealing after the civil war. It wasn't uncommon for families to never even get their husband's or son's remains back. Turning to magic or any means does not sound so crazy anymore.
The trauma on an entire generation has huge impacts on the trajectory of our future. The baby boom is the textbook example of this. Men are traumatized from the violence overseas, and women are launched back into domestic roles after a brief period of independence and empowerment. People turn to mentally escape in any way during this time, and one option was in The Chronicles of Narnia. This was a revolutionary fantasy novel that was set partially in the real world. Although the magical aspects are deeply present, the times are grounded in reality and relatable to their audience. It is about family and finding your place in the world, concepts that are strongly longed for in this unstable timeline.
Today, we find ourselves in a devastating and life changing pandemic. I wonder what coping mechanisms related to magic and the fantasy world we will turn to as time continues. Already, I see some parallels to the baby boom of the 1950s with the flood of instagram engagements of my fellow classmates. Some of them are 20 years old. Quarantine has made us desperate for human connection, speed running millions of relationships either to full commitment or complete destruction. I have seen relationships bloom and thrive long distance completely through the internet, some of them not even meeting in person. I have also seen relationships fall apart after being trapped and muffled in the small quarantine space of a one bedroom apartment. It will be extremely interesting to see how our generation copes with the traumas of both the health crisis and human isolation over the span of over 2 years. I wonder if we will turn to magical tricks like the oujia board or the next big fantasy novel series.
Thanks for this thoughtful, insightful post. I think your speculation on how the pandemic is affecting us was particularly astute. After such great trauma there is always instability of one type or another. This was particularly true of the disillusionment after WWI, whose horrors were especially unprecedented. Both C.S. Lewis and Tolkien wrote after the horrors of WWI. I had not known about Instagram engagements. Actual engagement announcements take place on Instagram? I think in the midst of any cataclysm humans tend to seek escape and emotional connections. Our longing become all the more acute during unstable times. Interesting stuff, thanks.
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