#gothichistory

October 5th 1713, birth of French philosopher, writer, and prominent figure during the Age of Enlightenment Denis Diderot, best known as editor, and contributor to the ‘Encyclopédie’ founded in 1751 alongside Jean le Rond d'Alembert. The ‘Encyclopédie’ was the first to include contributions from a wide field of authors on a variety of topics. Its skeptical and secular tone with regard to religion, became both a rallying call for the forerunners of the French Revolution, and saw bans by the French Government and Catholic church. From 1759 to 1765, Diderot was the sole contributor, authoring 7,000 articles on a variety of topics. Dying in 1784, his remains were unearthed nine years later by graverobbers, who stole his lead lined coffin, and dumped his corpse, his remains were then transferred to a mass grave. On the same day in 1789, near riot over the lack of bread available in Paris, thousands of women began to march on Versailles, demanding that the royal family including Louis XVI return to Paris, which bowing to the pressure of the march did so, in the process ending the royal privilege of the ‘ancien régime’, which had existed in France since the 15th century. The event is seen as a defining moment in the beginnings of the revolution that Diderot sowed the seeds of. October 8th 1774, death of German Phantasmagoria pioneer, illusionist, and occultist Baron Johann Georg Schropfer. The horror theatre shows later named Phantasmagoria were first developed by Schröpfer in the form of entertainment séances, and the use of magic lanterns to project the appearance of ghosts. Schröpfer would invite audiences into his Leipzig coffee house, where after preparing a magical punch of his own recipe (Continued in the comments). #ghost #history #historymemes #phantasmagoria #gothictales #frenchrevolution #tarothistory #tarotcards #tarotart #tarotartist #mortalsmarket #illustrationdaily #gothicillustration #guillotine #gothichistory #onthisday #onthisdayinhistory #ghosthistory #ghostsighting #macabre #macabreart #enlightenmentistherevolution #ageofenlightenment #denisdiderot #sceance #magiclantern #scéance #18thcentury #18thcenturyhistory #gothictheatre https://www.instagram.com/p/CUxhE47FIDW/?utm_medium=tumblr

Flipping through 'Gothic Histories: The Taste for Terror, 1764 to the Present' (by Clive Bloom) to the boney beat of a skeleton drum. The second installment of The Gothic: What? is on its way. In the meantime, check out the posts already on the Generally Gothic site. Link in bio. #generallygothic #gothic #gothicliterature #literature #englishliterature #literarycriticism #clivebloom #skeleton #drum #gothichistory #literaryhistory #history #blog #writer #blogseries

16th October 1793, previous Queen of France prior to the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, then called ‘Widow Capet’, is executed by guillotine. Convicted of high treason by the Revolutionary Tribunal, she is executed at the Place de la Révolution, following the execution of her husband King of France Louis XVI, which took place on the 21st January 1793. Labelled as ‘Madame Deficit’, for her extravagant lifestyle, and lack of understanding of the economic problems facing France prior to the Revolution; her reputation was further tarnished during the "Diamond Necklace Affair", in which she was falsely accused of defrauding the crown jewels and the jewelers in order to purchase a very expensive necklace. The affair also involved the Italian adventurer, magician, alchemist, occultist and free mason Giuseppe Balsamo, who self styled himself Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. Marie Antionette also is falsy associated with the story in which she misunderstood the cries of the French poor for bread, as being cries of dissatisfaction for eating bread, in which she replied. ‘Let them eat cake’. This account actually derives from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, ‘confessions’, and was published in 1782, and is not based upon Marie Antionette. Due to these accusations, and other false accounts, such as her affair with Lafayette, whom she actually hated, and incest with her son; she was tried and convicted with her execution already arranged before her trial. Her head was then given to Marie Tussaud for the making of a wax death mask, and her body thrown into an unmarked grave. Continued in the comments: #history #historymemes #gothictales #frenchrevolution #tarothistory #tarotcards #tarotart #tarotartist #mortalsmarket #illustrationdaily #gothicillustration #guillotine #gothichistory #onthisday #onthisdayinhistory #18thcentury #18thcenturyhistory #widowcapet #marieantoinette #marieantoinettestyle #frenchhistory #frenchhistory🇫🇷 #placedelarevolution #letthemeatcake #letthemeatcake🎂 #deathmask #deathmasks #tarotillustration #tarotillustrator #uniquetarotdeck https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDkEfqlE48/?utm_medium=tumblr