ISBN: 1-931816-03-4
ISBN 13: 978-1-931816-03-8
$14.95 , 144 pages
$11.96 Online Price
(Quality paperback)

● Reviews          ● Readers' Comments


Reviews:

Dr. Steven F. Walker, American Vedantist, Winter 2005
Dr. Mike King, Network Review, Winter 2004
Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews
Jacob Aiello, Electric Review, April/May 2005
Midwest Book Review
Rahasya Poe, The Lotus Guide, May/June 2006

Can an artist be a mystic? And can a mystic be a partially realized soul who stops on the road to realization? In these two fascinating studies published in one volume Paul Hourihan gives a resounding YES! to each of these questions. Anyone who has been drawn to Thoreau's prose and to Whitman's poetry will be intrigued to learn why.

Hourihan deals directly and fearlessly with the question of how these two nineteenth century American proto-Vedantists reached moments of genuine spiritual insight and realization, but then sought to perpetuate them not in their lives but rather as the subject matter for their much revised and reworked literary works Walden and Leaves of Grass. The artist in them benefited, but the mystic lost out.

When Walden turned out to be no commercially successful publication, Thoreau fell victim to a severe depression; Hourihan adds, in one of the many insightful bits of commentary that are scattered throughout his essay, that one revered swami, when asked what was the principal difficulty of spiritual life, replied after a silence, "Don't let your mind give in to depression." (p. 13)

...This mystical experience―that "My Self" is present in all human beings without exception―left Whitman with enough material for a lifetime of poetry. But if the artist in him flourished, the mystic ran into a roadblock....  Like Thoreau, he fails to develop further.

But Hourihan still finds inspiration in both, and especially in the combination of both. He concludes that "Thoreau gives us willpower, Whitman gives us humanity―the ideal is to combine them!" (p. 126) It is a fitting conclusion for a reverent―and yet fittingly at times irreverent―appreciation of two classic American artists and mystics.   Full Review* (PDF)
                                          - Dr. Steven F. Walker, The American Vedantist, Winter 2005

Mysticism East and West
Network Review, Journal of the Scientific and Medical Network, Winter 2004
... Hourihan does us a great service by showing us the true religiousness of Whitman, set against the American Romanticism of Transcendentalism. Hourihan has an invaluable background in Indian spirituality which allows Whitman's mysticism to emerge, free as it is from what Whitman called 'ecclesiasticism.' It is only when set against the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita or the Advaita Vedanta that one can see the religiousness of Whitman, who otherwise calmly dismisses the Christian tradition of his land.

Knowing much less about Thoreau than Whitman, I was interested in Hourihan's assessment of him, alongside Whitman. He regarded Thoreau's early experience on Walden Pond as transformative, though one he never fully recaptured, trying instead to refine the written account. Hence the title of the book, suggesting Thoreau's 'quest' remained relatively unfulfilled next to Whitman's 'self,' a self that had approached the full realisation that is the focus of Vedantism....

 Any work on Thoreau and Whitman that explores their spirituality is welcome, but it is particularly so when it comes from an author with a doctorate in Western literature.                                                                                                                 Full Review* (PDF)
                  - Dr. Mike King, Director for the Centre for Postsecular Studies at London
                    Metropolitan University, www.jnani.org/postsecular

An Insightful Look at Two of America's Greatest Poets
"I believe in you, my soul..." from Song of Myself, Walt Whitman

David Henry Thoreau, most famous for his philosophy of "Simplify, simplify," lived his own dream for only a few years. Traveling to Walden Pond where he wrote his most profound works, he later obsessed over it for seven years until it was in his opinion perfect. Perhaps this obsession is what led to his own loss of the enlightened state that he sought for so long.

Walt Whitman's greatest work, "Song of Myself" gives the impression of a highly enlightened man in touch with the infinite Truth, but his later works depict a man who has found but not held on to, the absolute Truth.

Paul Hourihan dissects the lives of these two men with a deep spiritual understanding.... Although great writers and revered philosophers, both died after long periods of attempting to once again regain that feeling of absolute enlightenment that was once theirs. Samples of their works are sprinkled throughout, tempting the reader to do their own research.

Written in true literary style, yet in layman's terms as readers will find many of Hourihan's works, the author delves into the personalities, lives and successes of these two great men. This reviewer found it a fascinating read, being a fan of both. Illuminating, informative and insightful, highly recommended.
                                                                  - Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews*

* Mysticism in American Literature: Thoreau's Quest and Whitman's Self received Allbooks Reviews Editor's Choice Award in the Literary category.


Paul Hourihan's book, Mysticism In American Literature: Thoreau's Quest and Whitman's Self, examines the role of spirituality in Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself."

Hourihan's is an interesting study, delving into the role of mysticism in poetry. Arguably all great poets have tapped into some power higher than themselves to produce their greatest work―John Keats, for example, in Ode To A Grecian Urn, came to realize that "Beauty is truth, truth beauty, ― that is all/Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

....Those readers seeking yet another literary analysis of Walden and "Song of Myself" may find Mysticism in American Literature a bit too mystically-bent. Yet, others looking for an answer to what could have inspired such masterpieces that, in turn, inspired so many others, will find Hourihan's book to be a welcome consideration. Click here for the complete review.        
            - Jacob Aiello, The Electric Review, April/May 2005. All rights reserved.
              Reprinted with permission.

A Sublime, Literate, and Thoughtfully Reasoned Study
An introspective study of the lives and well-known works of Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman from a mystical point of view. Exploring the spiritual struggles both men went through, in order to deepen the understanding and appreciation for their lives and works, Mysticism In American Literature is a sublime, literate, and thoughtfully reasoned study of enduring philosophical questions and ideals grounded both within and beyond the physical world.
                                                                                      - Midwest Book Review, Oregon, WI

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." These words by Henry David Thoreau could not come at a better time than now, when we all hear the sound of a different drummer who sometimes seems so far away. The works of Thoreau and Walt Whitman are interpreted from a mystical standpoint, making it possible to understand the deeper meanings of their writings. A must-read.
                                                               - Rahasya Poe, The Lotus Guide, Chico, CA

Readers' Comments:

A Masterpiece
Mysticism in American Literature revives the innermost depth of the soul. The portrayal and interpretations of the writings of Thoreau and Whitman leaves me in awe of the author's own mysticism.... It is a masterpiece. Dr. Paul Hourihan portrays a divine faculty to translate the Transcendentalists writings to get into the direct heart of the truth, a power in man that is independent of the senses and the intellect.       

- Kurt Kawohl, author of Transcendentalism - A New Revelation

Opens the Heart of Self-Discovery
Mysticism in American Literature was inspiring to me as a spiritual seeker. It showed how I am much like Thoreau and Whitman, how easy it is to 'not quite surrender'. How strong the inclination is to let one's energy flow outward to society and creativity rather than curtail that energy toward the goal within. This book makes it very clear that a seeker has to let go of the personal ego and its need for earthly perfection and enjoyment in order to transcend the search and become that which is searched for. Even Emerson's intellectual brilliance cannot be equated to the light of a true mystical experience. His writings can imitate but they cannot become the truth.  And, even knowing the truth as Whitman seems to have, is not enough to stay in that awareness.... When these men of letters share their journey and their wisdom as well as their angst and despair, their frustrations and failings, our own evolution advances. Since we are One, finding a glimmer of our Oneness in another validates our efforts to continue the search. This search can lead to Vedanta or other paths that reveal mysticism and its goal of realization.
"Thoreau's Quest and Whitman's Self" both serve to open the heart of self discovery for readers seeking their own self understanding.   
                                                 - M. Quinn, Rohnert Park, CA