Literatures of Alchemy in Medieval and Early Modern England eBook
$20.00
The language of alchemy (the art of transmuting metals and manufacturing pharmaceutical medicine) is defined by obscure imagery, authorial play and dense knottiness, tempting curious readers to unpick its impenetrable promises.
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About this eTextbook
The language of alchemy (the art of transmuting metals and manufacturing pharmaceutical medicine) is defined by obscure imagery, authorial play and dense knottiness, tempting curious readers to unpick its impenetrable promises. From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century, alchemical literature was read, interpreted and reimagined both by those with recourse to a fully functioning laboratory and those who did not know their pelican from their athanor. Recent studies by historians of science have succeeded in decoding the difficult language of these texts, revealing the replicable chemical procedures behind their metaphors.
However, as a literary investigation of alchemy, this book explores more fluid understandings of the art in the period. Through an analysis of medieval and early modern texts and manuscript cultures, the volume explores the myriad ways in which alchemy was conceptualised in this period, by adept and sceptic alike. From Geoffrey Chaucer's mockery of the impotence of alchemical ‘pryvetee' in The Canterbury Tales, and John Gower's macrocosmic hope for societal amelioration in the Confessio Amantis, to Elias Ashmole's angelic alchemy in the Theatrum chemicum britannicum, it explores the natural philosophy that underpinned such diverse representations of this ‘slidynge science', proffering a theory of ‘alchemical hermeneutics' as a conspiratorial way of reading that sees alchemy in all.
S. Brewer. ISBNs for Literatures of Alchemy in Medieval and Early Modern England are 9781800107892, 1800107897 and the print ISBNs are 9781843846444, 1843846446.
Additional ISBNs include 9781800107885.
Publication details
- Author: Eoin Bentick
- Publisher: D
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About this eTextbook
The language of alchemy (the art of transmuting metals and manufacturing pharmaceutical medicine) is defined by obscure imagery, authorial play and dense knottiness, tempting curious readers to unpick its impenetrable promises. From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century, alchemical literature was read, interpreted and reimagined both by those with recourse to a fully functioning laboratory and those who did not know their pelican from their athanor. Recent studies by historians of science have succeeded in decoding the difficult language of these texts, revealing the replicable chemical procedures behind their metaphors.
However, as a literary investigation of alchemy, this book explores more fluid understandings of the art in the period. Through an analysis of medieval and early modern texts and manuscript cultures, the volume explores the myriad ways in which alchemy was conceptualised in this period, by adept and sceptic alike. From Geoffrey Chaucer’s mockery of the impotence of alchemical ‘pryvetee’ in The Canterbury Tales, and John Gower’s macrocosmic hope for societal amelioration in the Confessio Amantis, to Elias Ashmole’s angelic alchemy in the Theatrum chemicum britannicum, it explores the natural philosophy that underpinned such diverse representations of this ‘slidynge science’, proffering a theory of ‘alchemical hermeneutics’ as a conspiratorial way of reading that sees alchemy in all.
S. Brewer. ISBNs for Literatures of Alchemy in Medieval and Early Modern England are 9781800107892, 1800107897 and the print ISBNs are 9781843846444, 1843846446.
Additional ISBNs include 9781800107885.
Publication details
- Author: Eoin Bentick
- Publisher: D
What you receive
- A licensed digital edition of this title, supplied as PDF or EPUB. The format is set by the publisher, so email us the ISBN before ordering and we will confirm which one it is.
- Delivered to the email address on your order as a secure download link, usually within minutes and always within 24 hours of payment.
- Download links do not expire and there is no cap on re-downloads. Readable on any computer, tablet or phone, online or offline.
- This is a digital edition. Nothing is printed, packed or posted, and there is no delivery charge.
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