The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality
Cover of the book The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats by David Stephen Calonne, Cambridge University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Stephen Calonne ISBN: 9781108265881
Publisher: Cambridge University Press Publication: August 17, 2017
Imprint: Cambridge University Press Language: English
Author: David Stephen Calonne
ISBN: 9781108265881
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication: August 17, 2017
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Language: English

The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats is the first comprehensive study to explore the role of esoteric, occult, alchemical, shamanistic, mystical and magical traditions in the work of eleven major Beat authors. The opening chapter discusses Kenneth Rexroth and Robert Duncan as predecessors and important influences on the spiritual orientation of the Beats. David Stephen Calonne draws comparisons throughout the book between various approaches individual Beat writers took regarding sacred experience - for example, Burroughs had significant objections to Buddhist philosophy, while Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac both devoted considerable time to studying Buddhist history and texts. This book also focuses on authors who have traditionally been neglected in Beat Studies - Diane di Prima, Bob Kaufman, Philip Lamantia and Philip Whalen. In addition, several understudied work such as Gregory Corso's 'The Geometric Poem' - inspired by Corso's deep engagement with ancient Egyptian thought - are given close attention. Calonne introduces important themes from the history of heterodoxy - from Gnosticism, Manicheanism and Ismailism to Theosophy and Tarot - and demonstrates how inextricably these ideas shaped the Beat literary imagination.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats is the first comprehensive study to explore the role of esoteric, occult, alchemical, shamanistic, mystical and magical traditions in the work of eleven major Beat authors. The opening chapter discusses Kenneth Rexroth and Robert Duncan as predecessors and important influences on the spiritual orientation of the Beats. David Stephen Calonne draws comparisons throughout the book between various approaches individual Beat writers took regarding sacred experience - for example, Burroughs had significant objections to Buddhist philosophy, while Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac both devoted considerable time to studying Buddhist history and texts. This book also focuses on authors who have traditionally been neglected in Beat Studies - Diane di Prima, Bob Kaufman, Philip Lamantia and Philip Whalen. In addition, several understudied work such as Gregory Corso's 'The Geometric Poem' - inspired by Corso's deep engagement with ancient Egyptian thought - are given close attention. Calonne introduces important themes from the history of heterodoxy - from Gnosticism, Manicheanism and Ismailism to Theosophy and Tarot - and demonstrates how inextricably these ideas shaped the Beat literary imagination.

More books from Cambridge University Press

Cover of the book Introduction to Finite Element Vibration Analysis by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book Modernism and Homer by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book Capitalism, Corporations and the Social Contract by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book From Philology to English Studies by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book The Evolution of Human Sociability by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book An Anthropology of Ethics by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book Form and Function in Developmental Evolution by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book The Cambridge History of Communism: Volume 2, The Socialist Camp and World Power 1941–1960s by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book Word-Formation in English by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book The Cambridge Handbook of Immunities and International Law by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book The Cambridge Companion to Primo Levi by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's First Folio by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book Antarctica in Fiction by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book Introducing Language and Cognition by David Stephen Calonne
Cover of the book War, Strategy, and Military Effectiveness by David Stephen Calonne
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy