The marriage of heaven and earth : alchemical regeneration in the works of Taylor, Poe, Hawthorne, and Fuller / Randall A. Clack.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clack, Randall A., 1958-

Series:

Contributions to the study of American literature ; no. 6.

Contributions to the study of American literature, 1092-6356 ; no. 6

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Taylor, Edward, 1642-1729--Knowledge--Alchemy.

Taylor, Edward.

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849--Knowledge--Alchemy.

Poe, Edgar Allan.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864--Knowledge--Alchemy.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel.

Fuller, Margaret, 1810-1850--Knowledge--Alchemy.

Fuller, Margaret.

American literature--19th century--History and criticism.

American literature.

Alchemy in literature.

Regeneration in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (167 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2000.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

From the Middle Ages to the close of the 17th century, alchemy was fundamental to Western culture, as scores of experimenters sought to change lead into gold. Though its significance declined with the rise of chemistry, alchemy continued to captivate the imagination of writers and its images still appear in modern creative works. This book examines the literary representation of alchemical theory and the metaphor of alchemical regeneration in the works of Edward Taylor, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Fuller. While Taylor used alchemical metaphors to illustrate the redeeming grace of God upon the soul, these same metaphors were used by Poe, Hawthorne, and Fuller to depict a broader concept of redemption. These later writers used alchemical imagery to describe both the regeneration of the individual and the possible transformation of society. For Poe, alchemy became a metaphor for the transforming power of imagination; for Hawthorne, it became a means of representing the redeeming power of love; for Fuller, it figured the reconciliation of gender opposites. Thus these four American writers incorporated the idea of regeneration in their works, and the tropes and metaphors of the medieval alchemists provided a fascinating way of imagining the transformative process.

Contents:

Cover

The Marriage of Heaven and Earth

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Chapter 1 Alchemy in Early America

NOTES

Chapter 2 Edward Taylor and the Transmutation of Soul

TAYLOR'S ALCHEMICAL PARADIGM

Chapter 3 Alchemical Spirits in Eighteenth-Century America

Chapter 4 Poe's Alchemy and the Regeneration of Imagination

THE VAS HERMETICUM

THE CONJUNCTION IN THE GRAVE

POE'S HERMETIC GARDEN AND THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

Chapter 5 Hawthorne's Alchemy of Love

HAWTHORNE'S HERMETIC MYTHOLOGY

THE HEART OF THE STONE

Chapter 6 Fuller and the Golden Seed

Epilogue

Works Cited

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [137]-147) and index.

ISBN:

9798400683121

9780313001567

0313001561

OCLC:

609318020