French Literature Reviews - 2026

Bruno Belhoste, Franz Anton Mesmer: The Magnetizer of the Enlightenment
History, Politics and Society

The German physician Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815), inventor of animal magnetism (renamed hypnotism in the 19th century), is regarded as a distant forerunner of modern psychotherapists and psychoanalysts.

Based on extensive and frequently unpublished sources, this book offers a contextualized biography of this fascinating and controversial figure from the late 18th century. It portrays a man of the Enlightenment—a friend to artists in Vienna and reformers in Paris—and traces the milestones of his discovery, from his 1766 thesis on the influence of the stars to the publication of his major German-language work, Mesmerismus, in 1814. His theory of the universal fluid, harmony, and instinct is thoroughly examined, alongside his medical and magnetizing practice.

Through a detailed analysis of his successes and failures, and by breathing life into the passions and controversies they sparked, Bruno Belhoste paints a picture of Mesmer that departs significantly from the usual clichés of the illusionist charlatan or the misunderstood genius. Beyond the individual himself, the author unveils a fervent and inquiring era: that of the waning Enlightenment and the dawn of revolutions.

Bruno Belhoste is Professor Emeritus of Modern and Contemporary History

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Table of Contents

Part I: The Discovery of Animal Magnetism
Chapter 1 Early Years
Chapter 2 Mesmer Becomes a Physician
Chapter 3 Patron and Physician in Vienna
Chapter 4 The Invention of Animal Magnetism
Chapter 5 Magnetism and Exorcism
Chapter 6 The Paradis Affair

Part II: Mesmerism
Chapter 7 Mesmer in Paris
Chapter 8 Thwarted Ambitions
Chapter 9 The Society of Harmony
Chapter 10 The Condemnation of Animal Magnetism
Chapter 11 Magnetic Somnambulism
Chapter 12 The Revolution
Chapter 13 Final Years

Franz Anton Mesmer occupies a complex place in the history of science and medicine, often associated with the transition from Enlightenment natural philosophy to nineteenth-century psychological inquiry. The study of animal magnetism and the concept of a universal fluid reflect an era deeply engaged in investigating invisible forces, bodily harmony, and the relationship between the physical and the mental. Historical studies of this period frequently examine how scientific theories developed alongside social and political transformations in late eighteenth-century Europe. Readers interested in the history of medicine and the intellectual currents of the Enlightenment may find this work relevant to their pursuits.

Bruno Belhoste examines the life and practice of the German physician using extensive and frequently unpublished sources, charting his career from Vienna to Paris. The volume addresses Mesmer's early medical training, his interactions with artists and reformers, and the controversies surrounding his therapeutic methods. By analyzing both his successes and his failures, the text looks closely at the reception of animal magnetism and its eventual condemnation, presenting a portrait of the magnetizer. The work places these developments within the broader cultural landscape of the waning Enlightenment and the onset of the revolutionary era.