Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom: Eroticism and Reflexivity in the Study of Mysticism (Paperback)

~ Jeffrey J. Kripal (Author) "Although my body was asleep, resting almost anesthetized on its back, not unlike a corpse, consciousness was lucid and clear, fully awake..." (more)
Key Phrases: hermeneutical mysticism, hermeneutical union, emic speech, Louis Massignon, Evelyn Underhill, Ibn Dáwúd (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"According to Kripal, mysticism is very much a praxis, a set of techniques that lead to a goal, inner depth and self-knowledge. . . . Kripal's book can bring much-needed clarity and depth, and no little intelligence, to the `subjectivity wars' of postmodernity, which, even now, have only just begun."-Peter Homans, Journal of Religion (Peter Homans Journal of Religion )

"Original, even constructive, in its topic, approach, candor, and scope, Roads of Excess is nonetheless an excellent historical and biographical study, written with clarity and charm, demonstrating patience with those who have little familiarity with the discipline in which he is working or the scholars he is exploring. . . . This is the kind of methodological challenge that I hope more people will read and seriously engage."-David Clairmont, Chicago South Asia Newsletter (David Clairmont Chicago South Asia Newsletter )

"The book has the value of insisting on secrecy and eroticism as relevant elements for determining mysticism and esotericism. . . . Kripal has brought forward some fascinating material in this book and it is good to see how the academic debate on mysticism and esotericism in different religions and traditions is still alive." (Fabrizio M. Ferrari South Asia Research ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

William Blake once wrote that "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." Inspired by these poetic terms, Jeffrey J. Kripal reveals how the works of scholars of mysticism are often rooted in their own mystical experiences, "roads of excess," which can both lead to important insights into these scholars' works and point us to our own "palaces of wisdom."

In his new book, Kripal addresses the twentieth-century study of mysticism as a kind of mystical tradition in its own right, with its own unique histories, discourses, sociological dynamics, and rhetorics of secrecy. Fluidly combining autobiography and biography with scholarly exploration, Kripal takes us on a tour of comparative mystical thought by examining the lives and works of five major historians of mysticism—Evelyn Underhill, Louis Massignon, R. C. Zaehner, Agehananda Bharati, and Elliot Wolfson—as well as relating his own mystical experiences. The result, Kripal finds, is seven "palaces of wisdom": the religious power of excess, the necessity of distance in the study of mysticism, the relationship between the mystical and art, the dilemmas of male subjectivity and modern heterosexuality, a call for ethical criticism, the paradox of the insider-outsider problem in the study of religion, and the magical power of texts and their interpretation.
An original and penetrating analysis of modern scholarship and scholars of mysticism, Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom is also a persuasive demonstration of the way this scholarly activity is itself a mystical phenomenon.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226453790
• ISBN-13: 978-0226453798
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #843,332 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening and Unique Study, November 2, 2003

By	Burns - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom: Eroticism and Reflexivity in the Study of Mysticism (Hardcover)

I had the opportunity of studying with Professor Kripal and using the proof of this book as the text. The lives described within this text are fascinating, the analysis penetrating, and the personal details of his own path bring the whole thing home for the reader. I don't know that there is another book like it anywhere and I learned an incredible amount from Kripal about mysticism, as well as analytical methodology. Warning: it is for academics, the lay person will get lost in the language.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nexus of Objectivity and Subjectivity, May 6, 2005

By	B. K. Smith "The Seventh Beggar" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom: Eroticism and Reflexivity in the Study of Mysticism (Hardcover)

The aspect of Kripal's book that I enjoyed the most was seeing the realities of the academic pursuit. These various scholars of mysticism, by virtue of the very nature of academic engagement with the material, were working at the point of convergence of objectivity and subjectivity. And it is this placement at the nexus that invigorated and enlived their research.

If one is interested in mysticism, or religious studies, this is an excellent book to read in order to get a glimpse of true scholars at work.