Between Three Worlds
Spiritual Travelers in the Western Literary Tradition
- Arts & Literature
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
This book explores the motif of the spiritual journey and its evolution in Western literature. A spiritual journey can be broadly defined as a search for the divine. Such a search can occur either internally as a psychological process or in some cases may involve an actual geographic journey. Spiritual journeys can be conducted by individuals or groups. In exploring this topic, various kinds of texts will be reviewed, including autobiographies, novels, and short stories, as well as myths, folktales, and mystical writings. The book classifies spiritual journey narratives into four categories: theological journeys, mystical journeys, mythopoetic journeys and allegorical journeys. Representative texts have been selected in the history of Western religious literature that illustrate the basic features of each of these four categories.
Endorsements (2)
“John Stephens is a veteran scholar of collective approaches to the divine in different places and periods. Here, he gives an engaging and readable account of individual approaches to the divine in selected texts from the western literary canon, by authors such as Augustine, Dante, Margery Kemp, Kafka, and C. S. Lewis. Stephens balances capacious overview and focused analysis to help the reader explore how spiritually minded individuals experienced and recorded their quest for the highest good.”
“By examining how spiritual travellers in Western literature navigate between the physical, metaphysical, and allegorical realms, Stephens highlights the human quest for meaning, transcendence, and the ultimate good. This work not only sheds light on the richness of spiritual narratives in Western literature but also invites readers to contemplate the relevance of these journeys in contemporary contexts.”
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