In our scientifically and technologically orientated society magic has not vanished. However, this is quite the contrary. Literature, pictures, film, music and other art forms using magical themes and images are more popular than ever. The four parts of this volume, Magical Renaissance, Cultural Transformations, Scientific Perspectives, and Media Differences, illuminate the interface between magic, science, technology, and literature from Antiquity to the present day, providing theoretical frameworks on the one hand and case studies on the other. Taking into account wider socio-historical...