Mysticism in English Literature

The book opens by narrowing the vast field of mysticism to its philosophical core—questions of ultimate reality—and then turns that focus toward the great English literary figures who have wrestled with such ideas. By setting clear boundaries, the author sidesteps the more popular occult connotations of the term and invites listeners to consider mysticism as a temperament, a lived experience that fuels a writer’s imagination and worldview.

Through vivid discussions of poets and thinkers such as Wordsworth, Blake, and their contemporaries, the work shows how each approached the notion of unity in distinct ways—whether through nature, imagination, or direct inner vision. It traces the lineage of this mystical impulse from ancient Greek initiates to modern English prose, revealing how the belief in an underlying oneness shapes both style and substance. Listeners will come away with a richer sense of how spiritual intuition has quietly guided some of England’s most celebrated literature.