The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats
eBook - PDF

The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats

About this book

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.

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Yes, you can access The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats by David Stephen Calonne in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & North American Literary Criticism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-title
  3. Title page
  4. Copyright information
  5. Table of contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. 1 San Francisco Renaissance: Kenneth Rexroth and Robert Duncan
  9. 2 Visionary Poiesis, Hidden Religions: Diane di Prima
  10. 3 In the Search for Meaning, in Reaching for the Pure Relation: Bob Kaufman
  11. 4 American Road, Buddha Path: Jack Kerouac
  12. 5 Cosmic Vibration Breakthrough: Allen Ginsberg
  13. 6 Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted: William S. Burroughs
  14. 7 An Astrologer Dabbling in Dragon Prose: Gregory Corso
  15. 8 Nothing but the Marvelous: Philip Lamantia
  16. 9 Exaltations, Highs, and Strange Knowledges: Philip Whalen
  17. 10 Mountains and Rivers Without End: Gary Snyder
  18. Epilogue
  19. Notes
  20. Select Bibliography
  21. Index