The Esoteric Origins of the American Renaissance
Author | : Arthur Versluis |
Publisher | : Oxford University Press, USA |
Total Pages | : 241 |
Release | : 2001 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780195138870 |
ISBN-13 | : 0195138872 |
Rating | : 4/5 (70 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Here, Arthur Versluis breaks new ground, showing that many writers of the American Renaissance drew extensively on and were inspired by Western esoteric currents. Thus he demonstrates that Alcott and Emerson were indebted to Hermeticism, Christian theosophy, and Neoplatonism; Fuller to alchemy and Rosicrucianism; Hawthorne to alchemy; and Melville to Gnosticism. In addition to offering a detailed analysis of the esoteric elements in the writings of figures from the American Renaissance, Versluis presents an overview of esotericism in Europe and its offshoots in colonial America. This innovative work will interest students and scholars of religion, literature, American studies, and esotericism."--Jacket.