A Spiritual Bloomsbury: Hinduism and Homosexuality in the Lives and Writings of Edward Carpenter, E.M. Forster, and Christopher Isherwood

(Paperback)

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Description

A Spiritual Bloomsbury is an exploration of how three English writersEdward Carpenter, E.M. Forster, and Christopher Isherwoodsought to come to terms with their homosexuality by engagement with Hinduism. Copley reveals how these writers came to terms with their inner conflicts and were led in the direction of Hinduism by friendship or the influence of gurus. Tackling the themes of the guru-disciple relationship, their quarrel with Christianity, relationships with their mothers and the problematic feminine, the tensions between sexuality and society, and the attraction of Hindu mysticism; this fascinating work seeks to reveal whether Hinduism offered the answers and fulfillment these writers ultimately sought. Also included is a diary narrating Copley's quest to track down Carpenter's and Isherwood's Vendantism and Forster's Krishna cult on a journey to India.

Reviews

Highly recommended for those interested in sexuality, religion, and Hinduism. * Religious Studies Review *
The book is fascinating, over-full but in some sense not full enough, frustrating, personal, engaging, sometimes illuminating. * British, Irish and Postcolonial Literatures *
Antony Copley's book is...delightful and instructive....He takes us through his reading of the three seminal authors with aplomb and charm. * The Round Table *
A valuable contribution to the critical understanding of Carpenter, Forster, and Isherwood. Copley's painstaking research into their lives, and the religions they were drawn to, offers new insights into their writings and relationshipsas well as yielding unconventional perspectives on other authors' works. * Times Literary Supplement *
Copley's book provides a wealth of fascinating detail about each of these figures, draws important conclusions between their experiences, and raises a series of provocative questions about the nature of the relationships between (homo)sexuality and (Hindu) spirituality. * Journal of the History of Sexuality *

Author Bio

Antony Copley is Honorary Reader at the University of Kent.