<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The paper explores the theme of mysticism in Laurence Housman’s fairy tale “The Moon-Flower” (1895). It presents the main assumptions of a Victorian inner journey toward a mystical union and analyses symbols which construct the inner landscape which undergoes a mystic transformation. The author attempts to show the metamorphosis of the fairy tale’s main characters and identify its roots in both fairy tale and religious traditions. It is argued that Victorian fairy tales reflect a credible quintessence of the universe. The retold tales of an archetypical quest full of powerful symbols uncover the sublime world hidden under the dull reality. Hence, “The Moon-Flower” is believed to tell the story of inner transformation and open the doors to the myriad stories which were told before and create countless possibilities of interpretation.</p></abstract>

The paper explores the theme of mysticism in Laurence Housman’s fairy tale “The Moon-Flower” (1895). It presents the main assumptions of a Victorian inner journey toward a mystical union and analyses symbols which construct the inner landscape which undergoes a mystic transformation. The author attempts to show the metamorphosis of the fairy tale’s main characters and identify its roots in both fairy tale and religious traditions. It is argued that Victorian fairy tales reflect a credible quintessence of the universe. The retold tales of an archetypical quest full of powerful symbols uncover the sublime world hidden under the dull reality. Hence, “The Moon-Flower” is believed to tell the story of inner transformation and open the doors to the myriad stories which were told before and create countless possibilities of interpretation.

Laurence Housman’s <italic>The Moon-Flower</italic> and Victorian Mystic Imagination

Studia Anglica Posnaniensia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Laurence Housman’s  and Victorian Mystic Imagination

The paper explores the theme of mysticism in Laurence Housman’s fairy tale “The Moon-Flower” (1895). It presents the main assumptions of a Victorian inner...

Laurence Housman’s The Moon-Flower and Victorian Mystic Imagination

Published Online: Mar 01, 2018

Page range: 377 - 392

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/stap-2017-0015

Keywords
mysticism, fairy tale, Victorian mystical imagination, archetypical symbol, inner landscape

© 2017 Emilia Wieliczko-Paprota, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Laurence Housman’s The Moon-Flower and Victorian Mystic Imagination

Published Online: Mar 01, 2018

Page range: 377 - 392

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/stap-2017-0015

Keywordsmysticism, fairy tale, Victorian mystical imagination, archetypical symbol, inner landscape

© 2017 Emilia Wieliczko-Paprota, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
mysticism, fairy tale, Victorian mystical imagination, archetypical symbol, inner landscape