Esotericism and narrative : the occult fiction of Charles Williams / by Aren Roukema.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Roukema, Aren, author.

Series:

Aries Book Series 24.

Texts and studies in western esotericism, 1871-1405 ; Volume 24

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Paranormal fiction, English--History and criticism.

Paranormal fiction, English.

Williams, Charles, 1886-1945--Criticism and interpretation.

Williams, Charles.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (330 pages).

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2018]

Summary:

Esotericism and Narrative: The Occult Fiction of Charles Williams situates the life and fiction of the Inkling Charles Williams in the network of modern occultism, with special focus on his initiatory experiences in A.E. Waite’s Fellowship of the Rosy Cross . Aren Roukema evaluates fictional projections of magic, kabbalah, alchemy and ritual experience in Williams’s seven novels of supernatural fantasy. From this specific analysis, he develops more broadly applicable approaches to the serious expression of religious experience in fiction. Roukema shows that esoteric knowledge has frequently been blurred into fiction because of its inherent narrativity and adaptability, particularly by authors already attracted to the syncretism, multivalence and lived fantasy of the modern occult experience.

Contents:

Through the portal

Life and times: Christian occultism in modern England

The Fellowship of the Rosy Cross: a modern occult experience

Fiction and experience

Kabbalah: Charles Williams and the Middle Pillar

The High-Priestess: Charles Williams and modern magic

A magical life in fiction

The transmutation of Charles Williams: spiritual and literary alchemy

The coagulation of belief.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

90-04-36911-2

OCLC:

1043913882

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004369115 DOI