Surplus of Meaning: A Study of Symbols and Ideas of Symbolism

The concept of symbolism makes an obvious topic for a history of ideas, and from this perspective Lars Albinus, Associate Professor at the Department of the Study of Religion at Aarhus University, aims to fill a gap between a study of symbols, on the one hand, and influential theories on the general concept of symbolism, on the other. The book develops a fourfold differentiation of symbolicity. The focus is on material aspects of symbolism exemplified by the esoteric universe of alchemy and the religious adoration of statues. The path leads from The Philosophers’ Stone to various iconic and aniconic representations of the divine and ends with the ambivalent depth of The Thing. Albinus’ thesis is that our human encounter with the world is bound to create a surplus of meaning. In this respect, a theoretical divide between regarding symbolism as primed by the mind or as affected externally by something ‘more’ has haunted scholarly thinking up to this day. With this book Albinus proposes a position in between.