My Outlander Essay is About Ghosts, Symbolism and Astral Body Projections

For almost a year I have been mentioning about some research that I was doing for an essay. The good news is that the essay is about Outlander and it will be published this spring. I do not have a specific date for it. However, I can provide a link to the anthology where it will be published:

Adoring Outlander: Essays on Fandom, Genre and the Female Audience

Adoring Outlander CoverMy essay will be about the Cherokee concept of a half-ghost, and how it applies to three main characters: Claire, Jamie and Roger.

When I decided to add Outlander as a category to my blog, I never thought I would be writing much about it. However, I do acknowledge that one of the reasons that led me to write about Outlander was the fact that certain topics required discussion. Furthermore, I have read many reviews detailing that the Outlander series was never the same after Voyager. I tend to disagree with these opinions, even though I respect them. First, the author has incorporated a significant dose of symbolism in later books as I have demonstrated in my last three Outlander posts. Furthermore, the ghosts that haunt Jamie and Claire are evidence of their character development.

It was almost a year ago that the idea of writing about half-ghosts started to circulate in my head. I wrote two initial, introductory posts about the topic, and they became popular posts without any promotion. Basically, I wrote them and published them but I never tweeted about them or added hashtags to them. I wanted to keep my blog “obscure.” I guess part of me did not feel confident enough to make my posts more visible. I remember sending a blog post for cross promotion, and I never received a reply. However, when I saw a request for Outlander essays, I did not hesitate in writing a proposal and sending my two favourite blog posts back then (perseverance is one of my most valuable attributes). Here are the links and the material covered in them includes Voyager, Drums of Autumn and a little bit of The Fiery Cross.

Jamie Fraser as a Half-Ghost (Asgina Ageli)

Claire as a Half-Ghost (Asgina Ageli)

These blog posts are mainly introductory. By the time when I was writing my proposal, I had already finished reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes. I decided to take the challenge of explaining Jamie’s visions of Black Jack and his out-of-body experiences. When I started to write the essay, I had no idea how I was going to approach the topic. However, I found interesting research done about OBEs to the point that I am now able to offer a logical explanation of Jamie’s experiences. Of course, it is all written in the essay. In fact, a considerable “chunk” of my essay is about the ghosts that haunt Jamie. I also explain certain inducers of visions and flashbacks.

I would also like to share this link.

White Animals and the King of Ireland

I also included this topic in my essay. However, what I wrote in my blog post is the superficial meaning to it. There is a deeper meaning to the white mare, and it all goes back to the first book, Outlander.

Finally I have noticed that many readers see the Outlander series as a romance. While discussing with other readers about the series in Twitter, I have come to realize that many adore Jamie’s lines about his love for Claire. If you are attracted to the romantic aspect of Outlander, you should get the anthology. There are essays discussing Outlander as a romance. I have never paid much attention to the romantic elements of the series. In fact, I never saw the series much as a romance, but more like a work of fantasy and fiction.

Thanks for reading this post. More Outlander posts are coming soon,

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One thought on “My Outlander Essay is About Ghosts, Symbolism and Astral Body Projections

  1. just want to express my appreciation for ur essays. love the other-worldly bits in OL. love how u expound beyond what DG simply gives us wo further elaboration. hoping u’ll write more as we have to wait further for Voyager to begin X

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