Poetics of the Paranormal. By KevinChabot, Montreal: McGill‐Queen's University Press, 2024. 224 pp. $32.95 (pbk). ISBN: 978‐0‐22‐802298‐5

Poetics of the Paranormal is a fascinating and ambitious work on how ghosts and spectral phenomena are represented across various media forms. Kevin Chabot explores the ontology of the ghost, which he characterizes as defying linear standardized time. Additionally, these remnants have a distinctive connection to “history, temporality, and media” (7). Chabot does not attempt to tell his reader that ghosts exist or explain how, if they do exist, they operate metaphysically; instead, he guides the reader through a captivating and intricate exploration of how Western culture's media have shaped our understanding of ghosts and how, in turn, ghosts have influenced our media. In other words, ghosts have shaped media ontologies, which have created the paranormal into an aesthetic system. This reciprocal shaping is the Poetics referred to in the title of the book. The ghost is not a fixed metaphysical category. Instead, it is a historically contingent discourse molded by the type of media through which it is conveyed. The book is structured into six chapters, each focusing on a specific medium and its relationship with the paranormal: “A Ghost Story,” “The Diabolical Image: Photography, Cinema, and Haunted Celluloid,” “Televisual Ghosts and Paranormal Investigation,” “Tape: Videographic Ruin and the Lure of the Tangible,” “Hyperlinked Hauntings: Digital Horror and Networked Spectrality,” and “Séance Cinema.” The book transitions from exploring the historical context of ghost narratives to investigating the impact of early photography and filmmaking on perceptions of the paranormal. In Chapters 3 and 4, Chabot examines how ghosts are represented in television, especially in reality TV, and discusses the material nature of videotape and its connection to haunting visuals. The last two chapters focus on the influence of the internet and digital media in shaping modern paranormal stories, as well as how cinematic techniques can evoke a sense of the supernatural. These chapters make quite clear that the author's interdisciplinary approach is a great strength of the book. Chabot incorporates theories of perception, cultural histories, and media studies to design a comprehensive framework for outlining the highly mutable nature of the paranormal. One significant example of this mutability is the appearance of the ghost. In the Middle Ages, ghosts were corporeal and almost indistinguishable from the living until the moment they appeared or vanished (10). Indeed, graphic illustrations like woodcuts, which depicted ghostliness as insubstantial, made it challenging to differentiate between the living and the remnant. At some point, skipping down a few centuries, the appearance of the ghost changes due to the device known as Pepper's Ghost, which allowed the nature of the ghost in tragedy to Move from appearing on the stage as a solid body to being on stages as a “vaporous and ethereal spirit” that could “share the stage with living characters” (13). This device (and insubstantial and transparent ghost) made its debut on December 24, 1862, in the London stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' The Haunted Man. As Chabot notes, this was an important development because “another work by Dickens was highly influential in the dissemination of such conventions and would continue to shape the form and function of ghosts for generations to come” in the staging of A Christmas Carol (15). Poetics of the Paranormal not only considers the technology for understanding the immutable nature of the paranormal but also explores the poetic aspects of the paranormal. Indeed, Chabot thoroughly examines the cultural and psychological implications of capturing the unseen. For example, the sections on the Slender Man phenomenon, an entity created in and by the internet, demonstrate how spectral narratives in our digital age are both created and co-created. This inter- and multi-disciplinary approach makes the book required reading for those interested in media and cultural studies. This book is highly thought-provoking, providing valuable insights for scholars and enthusiasts interested in the changing narratives of the paranormal in media and cultural history. Chabot's research significantly contributes to ongoing debates about spectrality and media. Its theoretical depth and clear presentation make it an indispensable resource for scholars exploring the cultural aspects of the paranormal ghost. This book is highly recommended. Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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