Divine Improvisations: J. J. G. Wilkinson and Automatic Writing
In 1857, James John Garth Wilkinson published Improvisations from the Spirit, a collection of poetry conceived as an experiment with "automatic writing," which the author claimed was guided by the Lord. This strange collection stands as the earliest example of a sustained interest in "...
| Published in: | Religion & literature |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Dep.
2020
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| In: |
Religion & literature
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| RelBib Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality CD Christianity and Culture KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history |
| Further subjects: | B
POETRY collections
B Swedenborg, Emanuel, 1688-1772 B Theosophists B Spirit writings B Wilkinson, James John Garth |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In 1857, James John Garth Wilkinson published Improvisations from the Spirit, a collection of poetry conceived as an experiment with "automatic writing," which the author claimed was guided by the Lord. This strange collection stands as the earliest example of a sustained interest in "spirit poetry" published in Victorian Britain. The volume intrigued some contemporaries while others wrote it off as a "bogie poem book," but it is clearly an important case study for looking at a number of significant ideas that can tell us something about the development of both literary and spiritual discourses in the period. But, most importantly, it displays the desire at the time to merge these two discourses. Wilkinson’s efforts were informed by his abiding interest in the theosophist Emanuel Swedenborg, whose teachings about the spirit world are essential for understanding nineteenth-century spiritualism. The argument presented in the article is that Wilkinson draws selectively on Swedenborg’s ideas with the purpose of imbuing his spirit poetry with a higher literary-spiritual purpose than what was necessarily on offer when "automatic writing" was practised at Victorian séances. The aim is to uncover Wilkinson’s attempt to use poetry as a vehicle to bring about a spiritual reformation of society. In order to provide a critical understanding of the book and its cultural significance, the recurring thematic patterns of Wilkinson’s poetic reveries are analyzed and the contexts for writing poetry that involves communications with the dead are discussed. |
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| Item Description: | Die Hefte mit der Zählung 51.2020,3 und 52.2021,1 sind als Doppelheft erschienen |
| ISSN: | 2328-6911 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion & literature
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/rel.2019.0062 |