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Heaven's Bride: The Unprintable Life of Ida C. Craddock, American Mystic, Scholar, Sexologist, Martyr, and Madwoman
The nineteenth-century eccentric Ida C. Craddock was by turns a secular freethinker, a religious visionary, a civil-liberties advocate, and a resolute defender of belly-dancing. Arrested and tried repeatedly on obscenity charges, she was deemed a danger to public morality for her candor about sexuality. By the end of her life Craddock, the nemesis of the notorious vice crusader Anthony Comstock, had become a favorite of free-speech defenders and women's rights activists. She soon became as well the case-history darling of one of America's earliest and most determined Freudians.
In Heaven's Bride , prize-winning historian Leigh Eric Schmidt offers a rich biography of this forgotten mystic, who occupied the seemingly incongruous roles of yoga priestess, suppressed sexologist, and suspected madwoman. In Schmidt's evocative telling, Craddock's story reveals the beginning of the end of Christian America, a harbinger of spiritual variety and sexual revolution.
In Heaven's Bride , prize-winning historian Leigh Eric Schmidt offers a rich biography of this forgotten mystic, who occupied the seemingly incongruous roles of yoga priestess, suppressed sexologist, and suspected madwoman. In Schmidt's evocative telling, Craddock's story reveals the beginning of the end of Christian America, a harbinger of spiritual variety and sexual revolution.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published December 7, 2010
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447 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 12, 2022
I really enjoyed this book, but I have to admit that it is smack dab in the middle of my wheel house. I've read other academic books about religious experience by Leigh Eric Schmidt, and wrote my PhD dissertation about religious visionaries and mystics. I also love the 19th century above and beyond all other centuries. SO: I was absolutely the target audience of the book, a book about the life of a late-19th century woman who spoke to angels, fought (and lost) her battle to attend university, and struggled to find her way in the world as an amateur scholar and marriage reformer.
I didn't find the writing hard to read or the structure of the book too difficult to follow, as other reviewers have mentioned, but I will concede that Schmidt's prose in many ways echoes the style of the 19th century literature that he writes about. Not all readers will like it. Schmidt's telling of Craddock's life isn't entirely chronological either, which requires the reader to keep a mental timeline of her life as he moves to different episodes of Craddock's religious and intellectual experimentation.
I loved the chapters on Freethought and the Church of Yoga, but could see how those might be off-putting to readers not already versed in late-19th-century religious history. The later chapters about Ida Craddock's court battles with Anthony Comstock are compelling and heart-breaking.
I assigned the book to college students in a course covering US history from 1877-1920. The students found the story engaging, but had a hard time with the book for a number of reasons: 1. They weren't as well versed in the history of US religion as they felt they needed to be to give the book context; 2. They felt (fairly, I'd argue) that Schmidt might have loved Craddock a little too much, leading to ham-handed portrayals of her opponents, especially Comstock; and 3. that the ending of the book (a psychoanalyst's posthumous obsession with Craddock) was a strange note on which to end.
Even though students had some major objections to the book, it was the single liveliest day of class discussion we had, and they did enjoy learning about all the unexpected issues related to religion and sex in the time period. Most were surprised to learn that things like ouija boards were as old as they were. It's always fun to surprise students! I think I might consider assigning the book in the future, but would be sure to give the students supplemental chapters about the history of gender and sexuality and of religion in the Gilded Age to help supply context.
I didn't find the writing hard to read or the structure of the book too difficult to follow, as other reviewers have mentioned, but I will concede that Schmidt's prose in many ways echoes the style of the 19th century literature that he writes about. Not all readers will like it. Schmidt's telling of Craddock's life isn't entirely chronological either, which requires the reader to keep a mental timeline of her life as he moves to different episodes of Craddock's religious and intellectual experimentation.
I loved the chapters on Freethought and the Church of Yoga, but could see how those might be off-putting to readers not already versed in late-19th-century religious history. The later chapters about Ida Craddock's court battles with Anthony Comstock are compelling and heart-breaking.
I assigned the book to college students in a course covering US history from 1877-1920. The students found the story engaging, but had a hard time with the book for a number of reasons: 1. They weren't as well versed in the history of US religion as they felt they needed to be to give the book context; 2. They felt (fairly, I'd argue) that Schmidt might have loved Craddock a little too much, leading to ham-handed portrayals of her opponents, especially Comstock; and 3. that the ending of the book (a psychoanalyst's posthumous obsession with Craddock) was a strange note on which to end.
Even though students had some major objections to the book, it was the single liveliest day of class discussion we had, and they did enjoy learning about all the unexpected issues related to religion and sex in the time period. Most were surprised to learn that things like ouija boards were as old as they were. It's always fun to surprise students! I think I might consider assigning the book in the future, but would be sure to give the students supplemental chapters about the history of gender and sexuality and of religion in the Gilded Age to help supply context.
March 18, 2016
A fascinating look at an early marriage reformer/women's rights activist, Ida C Craddock. It looks at her work as a sexologist and how she was hounded and persecuted under obscenity laws. It also looks at her mysticism (an adept who was considered a brilliant mind by Crowley). And it tries to untangle the argument that she was insane, while looking at how women were committed to lunatic asylums at the time if they were an embarrassment to the family.
Ida C Craddock, was deeply flawed as an activist. While she campaigned for women she looked with scorn and disgust at the plights of the working class and ethnic minorities. What I appreciated about this biography is that there wasn't an embarrassed attempt to justify her prejudices.
Ida C Craddock, was deeply flawed as an activist. While she campaigned for women she looked with scorn and disgust at the plights of the working class and ethnic minorities. What I appreciated about this biography is that there wasn't an embarrassed attempt to justify her prejudices.
July 21, 2012
Ida Craddock was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison 110 years ago in 1902 for violation of the Comstock Act of 1873 that made it illegal to send any "obscene, lewd, and/or lascivious" materials through the mail. Craddock was a sexologist who wrote and distributed through the mails several pamphlets on how married couples could achieve mutual satisfaction in their sexual relations. Rather than serve her prison sentence, she committed suicide. Outrage over her death marked the beginning of a Free Speech Movement that eventually overturned the Comstock Act.
But Ida Craddock was so much more, and Leigh Schmidt does an admirable job of writing a biography from the supressed documents by and about her. She was a brilliant woman who passed the entrance exams for the University of Pennsylvania"very satisfactorily," but was denied admission by the board of trustees because of her sex. She then became the secretary of the American Secular Union, one of the most important liberal organizations of the 19th century. She stood alone as the only woman researcher in the 19th century investigation of the phallic roots of Christianity. Craddock formed her own Church of Yoga to preach her mix of American Spiritualism, Quaker mysticism, Unitarian free thought, and Tantric Yoga. As a practicing sexologist Craddock suggested that the gyrations of the belly dance, along with male orgasmic restraint, could result in female gratification in the marital bed.
Craddock was hounded during her life by a mother who wanted to commit her to an asylum and Anthony Comstock who wanted to send her to jail. After her death her papers, which she tried to save from destruction by her mother, fell into the hands of Theodore Schroeder, an amateur psychologist. When her personal files were opened, her "marriage" to Soph, the spirit of a dead suitor from her youth, is revealed. As an American Spiritualist, her relationship with Soph was a natural outcome of her research into the spirit world. Schroeder, a lawyer turned psychologist, obtained her personal papers after her death and used her writings on "Heavenly Bridegrooms" to prove Craddock was a "sexual and religious maniac." He tried to show that her repressed sexuality expressed itself by taking on a spirit lover.
Craddock was a bold and gifted woman. Her efforts at reform in Turn of the Century America as revealed in this biography shine a light on the pressures women faced in the last decades before they obtained the right to vote. The terrible price she paid and her quiet resolve to pay it make her what the famous anarchist Emma Goldman called "one of the bravest champions of women's emancipation."
Leigh Schmidt is the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He got his BA from University of California, Riverside and his MA and PhD from Princeton University. His other books include:
Practicing Protestants: Histories of the Christian Life in America,
Restless Souls: The Making of American Spirituality,
The Religious History of America,
Hearing Things: Religion, Illusion, and the American Enlightenment,
Holy Fairs: Scottish Communions and American Revivals in the Early Modern Period, and,
Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays.
But Ida Craddock was so much more, and Leigh Schmidt does an admirable job of writing a biography from the supressed documents by and about her. She was a brilliant woman who passed the entrance exams for the University of Pennsylvania"very satisfactorily," but was denied admission by the board of trustees because of her sex. She then became the secretary of the American Secular Union, one of the most important liberal organizations of the 19th century. She stood alone as the only woman researcher in the 19th century investigation of the phallic roots of Christianity. Craddock formed her own Church of Yoga to preach her mix of American Spiritualism, Quaker mysticism, Unitarian free thought, and Tantric Yoga. As a practicing sexologist Craddock suggested that the gyrations of the belly dance, along with male orgasmic restraint, could result in female gratification in the marital bed.
Craddock was hounded during her life by a mother who wanted to commit her to an asylum and Anthony Comstock who wanted to send her to jail. After her death her papers, which she tried to save from destruction by her mother, fell into the hands of Theodore Schroeder, an amateur psychologist. When her personal files were opened, her "marriage" to Soph, the spirit of a dead suitor from her youth, is revealed. As an American Spiritualist, her relationship with Soph was a natural outcome of her research into the spirit world. Schroeder, a lawyer turned psychologist, obtained her personal papers after her death and used her writings on "Heavenly Bridegrooms" to prove Craddock was a "sexual and religious maniac." He tried to show that her repressed sexuality expressed itself by taking on a spirit lover.
Craddock was a bold and gifted woman. Her efforts at reform in Turn of the Century America as revealed in this biography shine a light on the pressures women faced in the last decades before they obtained the right to vote. The terrible price she paid and her quiet resolve to pay it make her what the famous anarchist Emma Goldman called "one of the bravest champions of women's emancipation."
Leigh Schmidt is the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He got his BA from University of California, Riverside and his MA and PhD from Princeton University. His other books include:
Practicing Protestants: Histories of the Christian Life in America,
Restless Souls: The Making of American Spirituality,
The Religious History of America,
Hearing Things: Religion, Illusion, and the American Enlightenment,
Holy Fairs: Scottish Communions and American Revivals in the Early Modern Period, and,
Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays.
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December 12, 2012Not a review, but a note to myself of a tiny detail I liked--Craddock proposed the pansy as symbol for American freethinkers, as a pun on the French 'pensee,' meaning 'thought.' Was overruled by a fellow named Otto Wettstein (Otto WetBlanket, more-like), who felt this was too feminine and had already made up pins using the more phallic and banal symbol of a blazing torch. Noted both because I like the somewhat subversive use of the inoffensive pansy and because I like the irony of self-proclaimed phallic cult researcher Craddock going up against this modern but boring phallic imagery.
March 29, 2024
This is a thoroughly-researched biography of Ida Craddock, who in the 1890s advocated for completely radical version of marriage sexual relations based on her spiritual beliefs. An essential part of her program was that sexual contact was to only be initiated by the woman, and that unless the intention was to conceive the male should learn to achieve orgasm without ejaculation. She wrote, lectured, and counseled men and women that these abilities could be learned and were intended to enable great sexual satisfaction.
Considering the prevailing beliefs regarding sexuality at that time (and even today), you can imagine the uproar this caused. Unfortunately, it was then not only frowned upon to discuss sexual matters, even among adults, due to the Comstock Act, a person could actually be imprisoned for sending "obscene, lascivious, or lewd" material through the U.S. Mail. The definition included any description or item which could be used to prevent conception or cause abortion. Craddock was hounded for years by Anthony Comstock, who finally got her tried and basically summarily convicted, facing a 5 year prison sentence. With her mother firmly supporting her conviction, Craddock ended her life by gas asphyxiation, leaving a long letter to the public and to her mother that she was obviously fighting forces that would not end until she was silenced.
The problem with this book is that nothing of Craddock's has ever been published (until 2010, see below). All the material Schmidt used is in a Special Collection at the Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He does give excerpts of her work, but really you need to read her own essays and pamphlets at least.
Fortunately, there is a website www.idacraddock.org which provides many of her books and essays. I strongly recommend this book be read in conjunction with her own works. There is also a valuable book, "Sexual Outlaw, Erotic Mystic: The Essential Ida Craddock" (Red Wheel/Weiser, 2010), by Vere Chappell, which provides an extensive collection of Craddock's essays, with perceptive, thoughtful, and illuminating analysis and discussion.
Considering the prevailing beliefs regarding sexuality at that time (and even today), you can imagine the uproar this caused. Unfortunately, it was then not only frowned upon to discuss sexual matters, even among adults, due to the Comstock Act, a person could actually be imprisoned for sending "obscene, lascivious, or lewd" material through the U.S. Mail. The definition included any description or item which could be used to prevent conception or cause abortion. Craddock was hounded for years by Anthony Comstock, who finally got her tried and basically summarily convicted, facing a 5 year prison sentence. With her mother firmly supporting her conviction, Craddock ended her life by gas asphyxiation, leaving a long letter to the public and to her mother that she was obviously fighting forces that would not end until she was silenced.
The problem with this book is that nothing of Craddock's has ever been published (until 2010, see below). All the material Schmidt used is in a Special Collection at the Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He does give excerpts of her work, but really you need to read her own essays and pamphlets at least.
Fortunately, there is a website www.idacraddock.org which provides many of her books and essays. I strongly recommend this book be read in conjunction with her own works. There is also a valuable book, "Sexual Outlaw, Erotic Mystic: The Essential Ida Craddock" (Red Wheel/Weiser, 2010), by Vere Chappell, which provides an extensive collection of Craddock's essays, with perceptive, thoughtful, and illuminating analysis and discussion.
June 29, 2023
Schmidt provides an engrossing biography of one of America's lesser-known rebels intertwined with an intellectual history of the anti-establishment movements of which Craddock was a part.
April 14, 2011
‘INEFFECTUAL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A WOMEN WHO WAS NEVER QUITE…’
“…it is a question of preventing the youth of this great country, from being debauched in mind, body and soul.”—page 17
For the first hundred or so pages of ‘Heaven’s Bride: The Unprintable Life of Ida C. Craddock, American Mystic, Scholar, Sexologist, Martyr, and Madwoman’ Leigh Eric Schmidt’s narrative is mostly boring and confusing. I’m not sure whether Ida Craddock was the marginally charismatic whack-a-doo, this portrait lends me to believe, or not; but I do know that reading these pages had me questioning my own sanity in continuing.
The second hundred or so pages improved to a battle of good: freedom of expression, versus the very ugly evil of the book-burning, threat-of-imprisonment, censorship of Anthony Comstock—another whack-a-doo; culminating in Miss Craddock’s suicide at forty-five. The final thirty-five or so pages of post-mortem psychoanalysis almost redeemed the previous two hundred pages, but not quite.
Recommendation: Don’t bother.
NookBook, 300 pages
“…it is a question of preventing the youth of this great country, from being debauched in mind, body and soul.”—page 17
For the first hundred or so pages of ‘Heaven’s Bride: The Unprintable Life of Ida C. Craddock, American Mystic, Scholar, Sexologist, Martyr, and Madwoman’ Leigh Eric Schmidt’s narrative is mostly boring and confusing. I’m not sure whether Ida Craddock was the marginally charismatic whack-a-doo, this portrait lends me to believe, or not; but I do know that reading these pages had me questioning my own sanity in continuing.
The second hundred or so pages improved to a battle of good: freedom of expression, versus the very ugly evil of the book-burning, threat-of-imprisonment, censorship of Anthony Comstock—another whack-a-doo; culminating in Miss Craddock’s suicide at forty-five. The final thirty-five or so pages of post-mortem psychoanalysis almost redeemed the previous two hundred pages, but not quite.
Recommendation: Don’t bother.
NookBook, 300 pages
April 19, 2013
Heaven's Bride was a bit irregular, a little slow to start and dragging in the middle, but the final chapters, detailing her legal battle with Anthony Comstock, were tense and vivid. If you're picking this up, you should be at least marginally interested in the subject matter -- Victorian life, the marriage reformers, early spiritualism, and/or Ida Craddock and Anthony Comstock -- because unlike some non-fiction, like Devil and the White City, the book itself probably won't pick you up and carry you away out of sheer brilliance. Nonetheless, it's a comprehensive, detailed, vibrant account of a fascinating personality at a complicated time in history, and with a little help from an attentive reader, it moves along admirably.
April 10, 2011
Prior to this book I was really quite unkowledgable concerning the history of sexual freedom in this country. I thought I knew something but Ida Craddock and her adversaries puts a new level of must know to this topic and vocabulary. Read this both to understand her life and from my perspective to understand how a nation comes to age after the Civil War or the War Between the States if you like. What is beautiful in this book is Ida Craddock and her foes are so uncompromising, there is no mediation or arbitration. It's a sixty year old man versus a thirty year old woman in the age of
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August 22, 2011If conservatives, in their reverence for tradition, are often temped by fundamentalism, liberals, with their love of innovation and multiculturalism, have had a historic vulnerability to spiritual quackery. It may not be visible in our national politics, where only one side routinely claims supernatural guidance and communion with heavenly voices. But on the ground, almost all lefty enclaves have congeries of gurus, faith healers, and metaphysical fad dieticians. Read more...
April 5, 2013
The story of Ida C. Craddock... a secular freethinker, a religious visionary, a civil-liberties advocate, and a danger to society for her candor about sexuality. And to top it off a case study for a Freudian....
June 21, 2013
Excellent historian, interesting lens through which to view the development of liberal religion and secularism that acknowledges the complex alliances that existed then, no longer present now, between mystics and freethinkers and marriage reformers and feminists. Comstock comes off as expected.
Want to read
December 18, 2010This looks fascinating.
January 7, 2013
Ida C. Craddock is fascinating. Her writing and life work positively hum off the page. This book is a good introduction to her life, but it fails to capture the verve of it.
abandoned-dnf
September 8, 2017This should have been so much more engaging than it was. Craddock was a fascinating character. This book was dull as dirt. DNF.
April 19, 2015
Just couldn't get through this; unspeakably dull and wooden. It may pick up past the first hundred plodding pages, but I couldn't bring myself to read further.
July 22, 2014
Rambling and dull. My dog kept sitting on it, which speaks volumes.
April 2, 2017
Mystic, scholar, Feminist, Sexologist, Martyr, Madwoman (some say), but most important to me, she was a Craddock.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews