Divine representations : the rise of the mystical novel in twentieth-century England / Carla A. Arnell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Arnell, Carla A., author.

Series:

SUNY series in Western esoteric traditions

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

English fiction.

Experience (Religion) in literature.

Literature and society--England--History--20th century.

Literature and society.

Mysticism--England--History--20th century.

Mysticism.

Mysticism in literature.

Transcendence (Philosophy) in literature.

England.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

Albany : SUNY Press, [2026]

Summary:

"Explores how Edwardian era writers used the mystical novel as a way to represent transcendent experiences within the tradition of the English realist novel. Divine Representations examines the development of a unique form of "mystical novel" in the early twentieth century by a loose fellowship of like-minded British writers with a passion for mysticism. Although the Victorian era's growing fascination with all things esoteric and occult had led to sundry examples of "mystical" fiction, the Edwardian era saw the emergence of several mystics-cum-novelists—A.E. Waite, R.H. Benson, Evelyn Underhill, and Arthur Machen—who were largely skeptical of Victorian spiritualist and occult practices. They sought, instead, to disentangle mysticism from occultism and align it, explicitly or implicitly, with a Christian sacramental theology. Through close readings of their most exemplary mystical novels, the book identifies the distinctive features of this school of Edwardian mystical novelists, all of whom were inspired by the medieval past, inclined to distinguish mysticism from magic (to greater or lesser degrees), and interested in engaging the modern middlebrow reader with Christian mystical experience in ways not previously attempted in the English novel's realist tradition. Their work as novelists—but also as editors, translators, lecturers, and spiritual guides—illuminates popular attitudes toward mysticism that have persisted since the turn of the twentieth century and have powerfully influenced, for better or worse, the trajectory of religion and spirituality to the present day"-- De Gruyter Brill.

Contents:

Introduction : The mystical revival in turn-of-the-century England

A.E. Waite, George MacDonald, and the golden stair from Victorian fantasy to Edwardian mystical fiction

The mystical novel and incarnational realism : R.H. Benson’s The Light Invisible

The art and craft of the mystical novel : Evelyn Underhill’s The Gray World

Grail prosaics as a mode of mystical fiction : Arthur Machen’s A Fragment of Life

Conclusion : Mysticism for the modern world, or, all true pathways lead beyond themselves.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed February 18, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: Arnell, Carla A. Divine representations

ISBN:

9798855805345

9798855806960

OCLC:

1569675213

Publisher Number:

CIPO000328481

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license