I have a young character who, in the late forties/early fifties, inherits a relative's library and becomes fascinated with the the accounts of pagan rites and rituals (and fabricated/fictionalized versions thereof) to be found in said library. She decides to play-act at the ritual of drawing the circle and summoning a spirit for the fun of it. Plot ensues, but that's not what's important here.
I know that pagan tradition and the occult were very popular during the Victorian era, so I figure if necessary I can just say that she got a hold of a bunch of old penny dreadfuls or magazines and that's where she got the idea for the magic circle. I was just wondering if any of the obscenely-well-read folks here knew of a particular story that describes the circle or summoning rituals? I had planned on blaming this all on the Victorians, but if there's a work from some other era that would fit this description, that works just as well (assuming it's before the fifties, of course).
I am hoping to find a work of fiction that fits the bill, here. Otherwise, I know there are a few works of a more nonfictional nature that were published in the fifties that I could probably use...Gerald Gardner's books spring to mind...but since this is a young character who is attracted by the pulp-fiction romance of the concept, I would rather the book(s) be fiction rather than anything didactic. So extra points for bodice-rippers taking place against a faux pagan backdrop.
Thank you in advance, sorry this is so long and wordy!
