The Ecstatic Poetic Tradition

This work is a critical study in four parts: (1) a general inquiry into ecstatic states; (2) an historical outline of the ecstatic poetic tradition; (3) an intensive study of five representative poets - Rumi, Wordsworth, Whitman, Dickinson, and Tagore; and (4) a discussion of critical implications, especially those bearing on psychology, sociology, and religion, as well as an analysis of ecstatic poetics and aesthetics in literary studies. The central focus is an ancient theory of poetry in which an enraptured poet induces states of ecstasy in his or her readers or auditors. Such poets abound in the ancient Indo-European tradition, from India, ancient Persia, Europe, the ancient Near East, the British Isles and Ireland, but they are also found across the globe in several non-Indo-European traditions. The poetry of the five subjects in the study can be characterised as verse that configures peak experiences; simulates intense positive affect; affirms physicality or sexuality; effects well-being; takes delight in the abundance of nature; expands the self in constructive ways beyond its boundaries; orients itself positively towards the sacred; inspires dance and movement; and suggests images of flight and inebriation, among others. The book thus bolsters the nascent field of eudaimonics, a multidisciplinary inquiry into the nature of human flourishing.