Melville

Abstract Without doubt, Herman Melville remains one of the most enigmatic figures of the American Renaissance. Not surprisingly, then, whereas most of the authors whose work we are considering have a fairly clear relationship to various esoteric traditions, for the most part this cannot be said of Melville’s work, still subject as it is to often wildly varying interpretations by literary scholars. Clearly, as one surveys Melville’s writings, one finds in them some direct allusions to esoteric traditions. In his fiction, in his poems, and in his letters, we find Melville alluding or referring to such traditions as Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Neoplatonism, and perhaps most notably of all, Gnosticism. But what can we conclude about Melville’s attitudes toward these esoteric traditions? Does he endorse, doubt, fear, or draw upon them? Has he any certain attitudes at all toward any of them? To answer questions like these, we must delve into Melville’s various works with each of these particular traditions in mind.