The Book of Magic

As the title indicates, the novel centers on books. These include literary texts, such as poetry and fiction, as well as occult texts, or grimoires. In addition, as repositories of books, libraries play a large role in The Book of Magic. The novel’s various allusions and discussions about books highlight how they empower people.

Books offer knowledge, a form of power. For many years, women weren’t taught to read and were punished for having books other than the Bible. Women being “drowned and beaten and hanged” (371) for having books in Massachusetts illustrates that books offer knowledge that could help women improve their social status and quality of life. One kind of knowledge is literary: “Life was like a book, Jet thought, but one you would never finish […] Fiction made sense of the world” (45). The novel mentions specific works that help people understand the world, such as Wuthering Heights (1847) and Jane Eyre (1847). However, Jet’s favorite writer is Emily Dickinson, whom the novel mentions and quotes throughout. Jet hides a message for Franny about breaking the curse in a copy of Dickinson’s poems.

Jet’s note concerns a grimoire, a magical text that confers power through the occult. The Owens family has its own grimoire, “the thick book that was the repository of the family’s magical knowledge” (27). Every Owens woman contributes to this book, except Sally. A beautiful art object with illustrations and glued-in pressings, it offers power via cures for various physical and emotional ailments using green, or healing, magic, in contrast to The Book of the Raven, which is a “left-handed Grimoire” (109), or a book of black magic. Black, or left-handed, magic focuses on creating curses, getting revenge, theft, and control. However, using these powers has a high cost, usually death for larger magical workings.

Furthermore, The Book of the Raven has strong connections to classic literature. It’s the “Book of Shadows” of Amelia Bassano (37), rumored to be Shakespeare’s Dark Lady: the unnamed woman he wrote sonnets about. Hoffman also refers to the theory that Bassano wrote Shakespeare’s plays. In real life, Bassano, also called Aemilia Lanyer, authored a poem collection about Eve from the Bible titled Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum. Hoffman’s giving her a strong occult presence links literature and magic. Both kinds of texts use words to instill emotions, influence people, and inspire actions.

Libraries offer both knowledge and community. Sally told her daughters that “if they were alone or separated, if they were in need, or in trouble, if they were in search of knowledge, or a friendly face, or simply a phone to use to call home, all could be found in a library” (135). She runs the Owens Library, and later works at Cat’s Library in another Essex County. The services of these public libraries extend far beyond providing books to read. The Invisible Library, a private occult library in London, has a place where scholars can stay, but it’s usually accessible only to members; one must have a key to use its collection. The novel also describes personal libraries, such as Ian’s collection of rare magical books and Jet’s collection that she leaves to Rafael in her will. Libraries offer services for public welfare, books for obtaining knowledge, and legacies that can be passed on to others.

In addition, the destruction of books provides insight into the character of those who destroy them. Tom believes that books are “worthless” (212) and destroys a rare grimoire that Ian worked hard to obtain because Ian put a magical lock on it. Tom destroys books when they don’t give him power, and his disdain for books reflects his antagonistic and evil nature. Conversely, Franny carefully copies out the words in her family grimoire before sacrificing it to break Maria’s curse. The family loses the art of the original grimoire, but keeps its knowledge. The power in sacrificing it is breaking the curse, freeing each member of the Owens family to love whomever they wish without that person dying.

Overall, The Book of Magic argues that people should be taught to love and revere books. The Owens women feel lucky that they were “raised by women who taught them what was most important in this world. Read as many books as you can. Choose courage over caution. Have faith in yourself. Know that love is what matters most” (377). Women inspiring a love of books in other women is a way of combating the sexism that kept women from becoming literate for many years.