Arthur Conan Doyle Claimed Personal Encounter with the Spirited Charles Dickens
At the Red Circle of Washington D.C., Dr. Olivia Rutigliano Delves into Arthur Conan Doyle's Unconventional Endorsement of Spiritualism
At a talk delivered by Dr. Olivia Rutigliano at the Red Circle of Washington D.C. on March 8th, 2025, the focus was on a captivating tale from Arthur Conan Doyle's life. The story, narrated by Dr. Rutigliano from Daniel Stashower's award-winning biography, "Teller of Tales," highlights an extraordinary event that took place six thousand strong at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1930.
The venue was bustling with anticipation for Conan Doyle, who was set to deliver revelations never before heard. Despite his recent passing just five days prior, the event had been carefully planned with his wife, and the stage was adorned with five family chairs and an empty one reserved for him. It was a night of mediumship, as Mrs. Estelle Roberts aimed to contact him from the other side and provide an unforgettable spectacle.
As a devoted spiritualist during the last fourteen years of his life, Conan Doyle advocated for the mystical phenomenon that permeated the Victorian consciousness. Despite his skepticism at the beginning, his deep-rooted fascination with the unknown surged following his son's untimely death in 1918. His passion for the spiritualist movement soon drove him to employ spectacle and showmanship to add a measure of legitimacy to the fringe movement.
One notable encounter that embodied this approach occurred in 1922 when Conan Doyle attempted to dazzle magicians at the Annual Banquet of the Society of American Magicians in New York City. His intent was to project images of dinosaur models, recreated by Wills O'Brien for the film adaptation of Conan Doyle's novel, "The Lost World." The magicians, unaware of the mere cinematic trickery, were left astounded and perplexed.
Aside from his notorious feud with the magician, Harry Houdini, Conan Doyle continued to engage in other peculiar exchanges and interactions with the spirit world. On September 4th, 1927, he relayed a conversation he claimed to have overheard between a medium and Charles Dickens, propagating the notion that spirits could be contacted and consulted. Conan Doyle reported this intimate conversation to the audience, which included cryptic references to Dickens' unfinished novel, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood."
The peculiar episode prompted a question about the "ghost-written" continuation of "Edwin Drood" by an American printer, Thomas Power James. In a surprising twist, the spirit of Charles Dickens dismissed James's version as false, instead encouraging author Wilkie Collins to have completed the project instead. It should be noted that Dickens was renowned for his flair for the fantastic, particularly in his writing and performance, even dabbling in magic from around 1842 to 1852.
In attempting to prove the veracity of spiritualism, Conan Doyle intentionally employed a strategy reminiscent of Dickens' theatricality. Dr. Rutigliano compellingly argued in her talk that Doyle aimed for the same effect that Dickens achieved during his performances—accessing and expanding the audience's imaginations, evoking a sense of wonder and amazement.
Despite the mixed reactions surrounding spiritualism and other paranormal phenomena, the enigmatic tales of these two literary giants persist to captivate and enchant audiences even today. Their lives and work remain indelible testaments to humanity's enduring fascination with the unknown and the supernatural, providing a fascination that transcends the boundaries of reality and the limitations of understanding.
In her talk, Dr. Olivia Rutigliano discussed how Arthur Conan Doyle, like his contemporaries, was captivated by the supernatural, venturing into the realms of fashion-and-beauty as he aimed to legitimize spiritualism with spectacle and showmanship. This, she argued, mirrored the flair for the fantasy and theatricality exhibited by Charles Dickens, another literary giant, whose work continues to captivate audiences in the realm of entertainment and pop-culture. Furthermore, Dr. Rutigliano pointed out that Conan Doyle's advocacy for spiritualism, as depicted in his life stories, significantly influenced his lifestyle, especially during the last years of his life.
