The alchemist in literature [electronic resource] : from Dante to the present / Theodore Ziolkowski.

First edition.

9780191809187 (electronic book)

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2015.

English

1 online resource (x, 237 pages) : illustrations

10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198746836 doi

PN56.A44 Z56 2015eb

809.933561

This study traces the figure of the alchemist in Western literature from its first appearance in Dante down to the present. From the beginning alchemy has had two aspects: exoteric or operative (the transmutation of baser metals into gold) and esoteric or speculative (the spiritual transformation of the alchemist himself). As scholarly interest in alchemy intensified, writers were attracted to the figure of the alchemist and his quest for power. The figure of the alchemist in literature provides a seismograph for major shifts in intellectual and cultural history.

This study traces the figure of the alchemist in Western literature from its first appearance in Dante down to the present. From the beginning alchemy has had two aspects: exoteric or operative (the transmutation of baser metals into gold) and esoteric or speculative (the spiritual transformation of the alchemist himself). As scholarly interest in alchemy intensified, writers were attracted to the figure of the alchemist and his quest for power. The figure of the alchemist in literature provides a seismograph for major shifts in intellectual and cultural history.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Access limited to authorized users.

Description based on online resource; title from home page (viewed on September 9, 2015).

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