Mysticism in English Literature

Caroline F. E. Spurgeon approaches English writing through a belief that one underlying reality connects the variety of life. Her study explains philosophical mysticism, then follows its expression in poetry and prose. Chapters consider love and beauty, nature, philosophical thought, and religious devotion, bringing writers such as Shelley, Wordsworth, Emily Brontë, Blake, and William Law into the discussion.

Spurgeon treats mystical experience as a way of knowing through inward feeling and participation. Her comparisons show how writers can share a conviction of unity while finding it through different sources: Wordsworth through nature, Blake through imagination. The discussion of Tennyson connects his verse with Eastern thought, while the prose section traces religious influences on Law. Readers interested in the meeting of literature, philosophy, and spiritual belief will find a vocabulary for examining these connections across authors.