The Electric Miracle

In this chapter, I examine theories about the nature of electricity, from a mysterious and magical force to a practical one employed to do work. I use Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to introduce the range of anxieties and potential opportunities that electricity presented, then explore the arguments about whether or not electricity might be considered a special—or even divine—force. I examine religious interpretations of electrical phenomena, and the utopian optimism regarding its use in communications with the development of the Atlantic Telegraph.