Description
Book Synopsis
This book explores the religious teachings of best-selling Victorian author and former Member of Parliament, Laurence Oliphant (1829–1888). While several biographies have been written on his captivating life, the stage of his life when Oliphant first established ‘The Household' commune has, until now, been largely unexplored. This book focuses on this later stage of his life, exploring Oliphant’s religious teachings. Additionally, this study incorporates a newly discovered archive, which reveals many behind-the-scenes details of The Household's teachings. Jeffrey D. Lavoie shows that Oliphant provided a unique interpretation of sexuality from a mystical Christian perspective, which opposed the restrictive contemporaneous “Victorian morality."
Table of Contents Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Biography and Background
Chapter 3: The Sympneumata
Chapter 4: Charles Carleton Massey (1838 – 1905)
Chapter 5: Rosamond Dale Owen (1846 – 1937)
Chapter 6: James Murray Templeton (1860 – 1892)
Chapter 7: Jennie Tuttle
Chapter 8: Hannah Whitall Smith (1832 – 1911)
Chapter 9: Laurence Carrington Grubbe
Chapter 10: A Scandal from Within
Chapter 11: Conclusion
Addendum A: Laurence Carrington Grubbe and the Sympneumata
Addendum B: Maria Julia Grubbe and the Sympneumata
Addendum C: William Stainton Moses and the Sympneumata
Addendum D: 1886-1892 L.C. Grubbe’s Journal and His Interaction with Laurence Oliphant
