The alchemist in literature : from Dante to the present /

This study traces the figure of the alchemist in Western literature from its first appearance in Dante down to the present. From the beginning alchemy has had two aspects: exoteric or operative (the transmutation of baser metals into gold) and esoteric or speculative (the spiritual transformation of...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
1. Verfasser:
Ziolkowski, Theodore
Format:
Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:
Englisch
Veröffentlicht:
Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2015.
Ausgabe:
First edition.
Zusammenfassung:
This study traces the figure of the alchemist in Western literature from its first appearance in Dante down to the present. From the beginning alchemy has had two aspects: exoteric or operative (the transmutation of baser metals into gold) and esoteric or speculative (the spiritual transformation of the alchemist himself). As scholarly interest in alchemy intensified, writers were attracted to the figure of the alchemist and his quest for power. The figure of the alchemist in literature provides a seismograph for major shifts in intellectual and cultural history.
Umfang:
1 online resource (252 p.)
Anmerkungen:
Description based upon print version of record.
Anmerkungen:
English
Bibliografie:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
0-19-180918-7
0-19-106381-9
Schlagworte:
Alchemists.
Bezugswerke:
Links: