Thomistic Metaphysics and Ethics in the Poetry and Prose of Thomas Traherne
While the seventeenth‐century English poet Thomas Traherne has often been described as a Neo‐Platonist or mystic, I argue that critics have overlooked the influence of Scholastic metaphysics on Traherne's poetry and prose. Traherne's debt to the Aristotelian–Thomistic tradition is evident...
| Published in: | Literature and theology |
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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: |
Oxford University Press
2002
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| In: |
Literature and theology
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | While the seventeenth‐century English poet Thomas Traherne has often been described as a Neo‐Platonist or mystic, I argue that critics have overlooked the influence of Scholastic metaphysics on Traherne's poetry and prose. Traherne's debt to the Aristotelian–Thomistic tradition is evident not only in his preoccupation with scholastic theories of the relationship between potency and act, and essence and existence, but also in his interest in the scholastic theory of habitus. Traherne's neo‐scholasticism is complemented by his interest in late‐seventeenth century philosophical and ethical theories of associationism. Through an analysis of Traherne's views on habit and custom, I attempt to reconcile Traherne's neo‐scholasticism with his non‐teleological ethical doctrine. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4623 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Literature and theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/litthe/16.3.248 |