Ludic aspects of European spiritism in 1853-1854

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of the so-called “turning tables”, which, having initially taken on a form of play in Europe, has become culturally important. I have analyzed the sources from 1853–1854 due to the extremely dynamic development of this type of experiments. In my considerations I have referred mainly to the work of Julian Florian Horain Stoły wędrujące: szkic pół-naukowy i pół-humorystyczny [Wandering tables: a semi-scientific and semi-humorous sketch], published in the same year as the “fashion” for “wandering tables” appeared. This fashion for “turning tables”, which spread across Europe, formed quite clear and uniform rules according to which the play was organized. That is why I based my deliberations on Johan Huizinga’s concept of play as a source of culture, contained in the fundamental work of the researcher Homo Ludens. Through my analysis, I indicated how experiments carried out in the form of play at “turning tables” influenced the development of permanent structures, important for the future European culture. Among other things, one can mention the spiritualism movement or the interest in researching the spiritualistic phenomena of academic circles, but also the preservation of spiritualistic séances in the form of play