A New Earth: The Labor of Language in Pearl, Herbert's Temple, and Blake's Jerusalem - Hardcover

""This rigorous study examines the metaphorical language of three important Christian poems in terms of their biblical antecedents, combining Augustinian sign theory with contemporary philosophical, theological, and literary discussions of metaphor. . . . Readers comfortable with current theories of metaphor, particularly with its theological implications for 're-vision,' will find this book rewarding.""--Christianity and Literature

This study examines how the poet of "Pearl", George Herbert, and William Blake each grounds his own poetics in an understanding of figurative language drawn from the New Testament parables - specifically from the metaphorical language of Jesus, who brought to fruition a radically new understanding of "building the Kingdom". Thorpe traces the development and continuity of their poetics as each poet wrestles with universal concerns of salvation in the midst of different historical circumstances. Providing more than insights into the work of the "Pearl"-poet, Herbert, and Blake, "A New Earth" explores the relationship between language and the world and between body and spirit. Thorpe considers the nature of human labour and discovers that labour is most truly understood as a bridge between body, mind, and spirit. "A New Earth" argues that metaphor is rooted firmly in the inter-relationship between body and mind and claims that as these poets work to extricate themselves from this dualism, they consciously use metaphor because it affirms the body and yet simultaneously redefines it by imaginately connecting separate entities into a single unified whole. Addressed to scholars in critical theory and theology as well as to readers of "Pearl", Herbert, and Blake, this work suggests a better understanding of a tradition of religious verse linked across 400 years through a consistent vision of metaphor.