The Mystical and the Mundane in the works of John Cowper Powys - Softcover

Trobe, Kala

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1999591720 ISBN 13: 9781999591724

Publisher: Parashakti Press, 2018

Synopsis

The writings of John Cowper Powys (1872-1963) are steeped in mysticism and mythology, yet fully adhere to the gravitational pull of the mundane. The psychogeographic implication of specific areas and communities is a major theme, perhaps best epitomised by A Glastonbury Romance (1933), in which Powys explores the spiritual ethos of this small Somerset town, and the effect upon its inhabitants and incomers of local Celtic myth and the legends of the Grail. Chapter One of this essay demonstrates Powys's polymorphous sensibilities, and the contrast between the mystical and the mundane in Wolf Solent (1929). Chapter Two focuses on his pervasive awareness of supernal intelligence, with particular reference to A Glastonbury Romance. In the third chapter, three deeply contrasting Powysian mystics are examined, in order to demonstrate Powys's multifarious views of the world and of spiritual possibility. The final chapter exemplifies Powys's attention to metaphysical detail; alchemical chromatics in A Glastonbury Romance providing one example of the profundity of Powys's belief – sometimes – in an intricate cosmic design. En route, we witness how these conceits are rendered plausible by the qualification of the mundane. The mystical influence of Blake upon Powys's works is also extrapolated. The primary texts employed are A Glastonbury Romance, Wolf Solent, and Morwyn, or The Vengeance of God (1937), though attention is given to Autobiography, Weymouth Sands, and numerous other of Powys's works.

Edition details

• Publisher: Parashakti Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1999591720
• ISBN 13: 9781999591724
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 82