Swinburne's Apollo: Myth, Faith, and Victorian Spirituality

by Yisrael Levin

Overview

Focusing on Algernon Charles Swinburne's poems on Apollo, Levin calls for a re-examination of the poet's place in Victorian studies in light of his contributions to nineteenth-century intellectual history. Levin persuasively shows that Swinburne was not simply a poet provacateur who enjoyed controversy but failed to provide valid cultural commentary, but was rather a profound thinker whose insights into nineteenth-century spirituality are expressed throughout his poetry on Apollo.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472404176
Publisher:	Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	12/28/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Yisrael Levin, Visiting Assistant Professor, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, USA.

Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction: a myth of one’s own; Part I Apollonian Origins: Apollo in the 19th century; Sunrise: Apollonian imagery in Swinburne’s early poetry; Light of nations: solar imagery in Swinburne’s political poetry. Part II Apollonian Myth: The desire for a new god and the terror of divine revelation; ‘On the cliffs’ and the matrix of Apollonian manifestations; The Sun-God and the perceiving poet; ‘A nympholept’ and the end of mythopoeia; Conclusion: holy water; Works cited; Index.