Encountering Buddhism in Twentieth-Century British and American Literature

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Description

Encountering Buddhism in Twentieth-Century British and American Literature explores the ways in which 20th-century literature has been influenced by Buddhism, and has been, in turn, a major factor in bringing about Buddhism's increasing spread and influence in the West. Focussing on Britain and the United States, Buddhism's influence on a range of key literary texts will be examined in the context of those societies' evolving modernity. Writers discussed include T. S. Eliot, Hermann Hesse, Virginia Woolf, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, J. D. Salinger, Iris Murdoch, Maxine Hong Kingston. This book brings together for the first time a series of context-rich interpretations that demonstrate the importance of literature in this ongoing cultural change in Britain and the United States.

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The impact of Buddhist ideas and practices upon western society, especially since the mid- twentieth century, far outweighs the number of people who self-identify as Buddhist. This excellent collection of essays is ground-breaking in its exploration of engagement with Buddhist philosophical ideas and tropes within modern British and American literature. Essential reading for gaining an understanding of 'oriental' influences and tropes within modern literature. * Richard King, Professor of Buddhist and Asian Studies, University of Kent, UK *
This represents a real development in literary study of Buddhist influence... The book, a pioneer in its way, is recommended for any scholar of twentieth-century Buddhism and its varied reflections and reinterpretations * Buddhist Studies Review *

Author Bio

Alison Winch is lecturer in Cultural Studies at Middlesex University, UK. Lawrence Normand is Principal Lecturer in English Literature at Middlesex University, UK.