Writing beyond Prophecy

Emerson, Hawthorne, and Melville after the American Renaissance

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American
Cover of the book Writing beyond Prophecy by Martin Kevorkian, LSU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Martin Kevorkian ISBN: 9780807147627
Publisher: LSU Press Publication: January 2, 2013
Imprint: LSU Press Language: English
Author: Martin Kevorkian
ISBN: 9780807147627
Publisher: LSU Press
Publication: January 2, 2013
Imprint: LSU Press
Language: English

Writing beyond Prophecy offers a new interpretation of the American Renaissance by drawing attention to a cluster of later, rarely studied works by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville. Identifying a line of writing from Emerson's Conduct of Life to Hawthorne's posthumously published Elixir of Life manuscript to Melville's Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land, Martin Kevorkian demonstrates how these authors wrestled with their vocational calling.
Early in their careers, these three authors positioned their literary pursuits as an alternative to the ministry. By presenting a "new revelation" and a new set of "gospels" for the nineteenth century, they sought to usurp the authority of the pulpit. Later in life, each writer came to recognize the audacity of his earlier work, creating what Kevorkian characterizes as a literary aftermath. Strikingly, each author later wrote about the character of a young divinity student torn by a crisis of faith and vocation. Writing beyond Prophecy gives a distinctive shape to the late careers of Emerson, Hawthorne, and Melville and offers a cohesive account of the lingering religious devotion left in the wake of American Romanticism.

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

Writing beyond Prophecy offers a new interpretation of the American Renaissance by drawing attention to a cluster of later, rarely studied works by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville. Identifying a line of writing from Emerson's Conduct of Life to Hawthorne's posthumously published Elixir of Life manuscript to Melville's Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land, Martin Kevorkian demonstrates how these authors wrestled with their vocational calling.
Early in their careers, these three authors positioned their literary pursuits as an alternative to the ministry. By presenting a "new revelation" and a new set of "gospels" for the nineteenth century, they sought to usurp the authority of the pulpit. Later in life, each writer came to recognize the audacity of his earlier work, creating what Kevorkian characterizes as a literary aftermath. Strikingly, each author later wrote about the character of a young divinity student torn by a crisis of faith and vocation. Writing beyond Prophecy gives a distinctive shape to the late careers of Emerson, Hawthorne, and Melville and offers a cohesive account of the lingering religious devotion left in the wake of American Romanticism.

More books from LSU Press

Cover of the book A Politics of Understanding by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book Selected Letters of Robert Penn Warren by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book Women of the Iberian Atlantic by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book The Angelic Mother and the Predatory Seductress by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book Hybrid Creatures by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book Casanova Was A Book Lover by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book The Biscuit Joint by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book My Father's People by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book The Ongoing Burden of Southern History by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book Neon Visions by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book The Papers of Jefferson Davis by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book Undaunted Radical by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book Displaced Person by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book Executing Daniel Bright by Martin Kevorkian
Cover of the book The Great Big Doorstep by Martin Kevorkian
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