The Esoteric Origins of the American Renaissance

Download or read book The Esoteric Origins of the American Renaissance written by Arthur Versluis and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2001 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. 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.