After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal The Victorian's Dark Obsession with Ancient Egypt
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Jan 19, 2026 Dr. Jay Sullivan, a historian and author specializing in Egyptian Gothic, dives into the Victorian obsession with Ancient Egypt. He explores peculiar mummy unwrapping parties and the darker implications behind them. The conversation touches on the rise of Egyptomania influenced by Napoleon, the Rosetta Stone's impact, and the fusion of imperial pride with magical mystique. Jay also examines eroticized mummy narratives and how these stories reflect colonial fears and fantasies. It's a captivating journey through a bizarre chapter of history!
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Mummy Tropes Reflect Imperial Fears
- Egyptian Gothic emphasized sensory, body-horror, and revenge themes tied to imperial anxieties.
- Recurring tropes included the vengeful past, tactile sensation, and “sleeping beauty” mummies that crumble when possessed.
Romance As Colonial Fantasies
- Mummy romance plots allowed Victorian writers to stage colonial sexual fantasies while ultimately denying fulfillment.
- The destructing mummy often prevents consummation, symbolically averting necrophilic outcomes.
Fiction Calmed Imperial Anxieties
- Egyptian Gothic offered tidy resolutions that soothed contemporary anxieties about imperial instability.
- Fiction typically neutralized the Egyptian threat, restoring order and reassuring British readers of control.
