Description
Book SynopsisA Spiritual Bloomsbury is an exploration of how three English writersEdward Carpenter, E.M. Forster, and Christopher Isherwoodsought to come to terms with their homosexuality by engagement with Hinduism. Copley reveals how these writers came to terms with their inner conflicts and were led in the direction of Hinduism by friendship or the influence of gurus. Tackling the themes of the guru-disciple relationship, their quarrel with Christianity, relationships with their mothers and the problematic feminine, the tensions between sexuality and society, and the attraction of Hindu mysticism; this fascinating work seeks to reveal whether Hinduism offered the answers and fulfillment these writers ultimately sought. Also included is a diary narrating Copley''s quest to track down Carpenter''s and Isherwood''s Vendantism and Forster''s Krishna cult on a journey to India.
Trade ReviewHighly recommended for those interested in sexuality, religion, and Hinduism. * Religious Studies Review *
The book is fascinating, over-full but in some sense not full enough, frustrating, personal, engaging, sometimes illuminating. * British, Irish and Postcolonial Literatures, August 2008 *
Antony Copley's book is...delightful and instructive....He takes us through his reading of the three seminal authors with aplomb and charm. * The Round Table, December 2008 *
A valuable contribution to the critical understanding of Carpenter, Forster, and Isherwood. Copley's painstaking research into their lives, and the religions they were drawn to, offers new insights into their writings and relationships—as well as yielding unconventional perspectives on other authors' works. * Times Literary Supplement *
Copley's book provides a wealth of fascinating detail about each of these figures, draws important conclusions between their experiences, and raises a series of provocative questions about the nature of the relationships between (homo)sexuality and (Hindu) spirituality. * Journal of the History of Sexuality *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Prologue Part 2 Managing the Transgressive Chapter 3 Between Two Gurus: Edward Carpenter and Walt Whitman Chapter 4 Between Two Gurus: Edward Carpenter and Illakanam the Grammarian Chapter 5 The Disciple Turned Guru: Edward Carpenter, Sexologist and Mystic Part 6 Love in Absentia Chapter 7 Forster, Religion and Sexuality Chapter 8 Forster and the Krishna Cult Part 9 The Atman Denied Chapter 10 Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda: The Guru-Disciple Relationship Chapter 11 Isherwood's Vedantist Quest: Transcending the Ego Chapter 12 Epilogue Chapter 13 Appendix: Indian Diary 1999
