The Oxford Anthology of English Literature: Vol 2: The Literature of Renaissance England by Frank Kermode
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A handful of readings were assigned from this anthology for my Alchemical & Hermetic Traditions class. We were assigned excerpts from Faerie Queen and Milton as well as a few small poems. What I enjoyed the most were the complete readings we had for Dr. Faustus and The Tempest. I had fun reading Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus and comparing it to Goethe’s Faust. I always find variations in storytelling interesting. Where as Goethe presented a Faust that was really more of a pawn and subject to the temptations of the devil, Marlowe’s Faustus seeks the devil himself. As for The Tempest, I read a lot of Shakespeare in high school and college, and I honestly can’t remember if I read this play before or not! I enjoyed it though. I think the scenes with Miranda and Ferdinand were my favorite. I always enjoy over-the-top romance. They fall in love so quickly and so hard! You really can’t help but smile at it.
All in all, I will admit none of these readings have helped me understand alchemy any better beyond seeing how present it was in Renaissance lit. And I know I only picked up on fragments of it. I’m looking forward to our class lecture coming up, where I know my instructor will spotlight the alchemical elements and help us get a better understanding on this ancient tradition.
