Erotic metaphors and Mystical Liteerature

[Guest guest]

My name is Vito Evola and I'm doing my research for my thesis in

Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Palermo, Italy.

 

My thesis will be on erotic and sensual imagery in mystical poetry

of the Judeo-Christian, Muslim and Hindu canons, and in particular

the "Song of Songs", Rumi's "Mathnawi" and the "Gita Govinda". There

are many points in common from a mystical-religious and a poetic

standpoint (as you already know) and I've been fascinated lately on

the possibilities of a development from a cognitive point of view.

 

Because we use metaphors especially to talk about abstract ideas,

our relationship with the Divinity must be a figure of our human

relationships. Father/Mother-son/daughter or Lord-servant are

relationships that have too much "distance" and so the mystic uses

the Lover-Beloved relationship as a metaphor (even better, fiancés

or newly weds), and so there is a trasfer of the semantics of

romantic love into mystical literature. This is my main hypothesis.

 

Besides the (com)union of the Beloved and the Lover, these are the

images I will be studying:

- Sight: The Beloved is a light source;

- Smell: The perfumes connected to the Beloved cause either a

heightened state of pain or of ecstatic love;

- Sound: The sound of the name of the Beloved and the emotions from

this;

- Taste: The kisses are sweeter than honey and wine;

- Touch: The embrace.

 

I am also engaging synesthesia and the further allegorical

interpretation of the relative traditions, which have striking

similarities.

 

I'd like any help you can give me; it would be appreciated. Would

you be able to give me any information (bibliography and/or contacts)

on the GitaGovinda and on bhakti for my study? I'd especially be

interested in any information on romantic love in and near India (and

anywhere else for that matter), to be able to find connections with

the mystical experiences and understanding why eros has been used in

devotional poetry. Any suggestions?

 

I won't keep you any more, however, I hope you'll be able to help my

research. Thank you for your time and best of luck to you!

 

Vito Evola

University of Palermo

Italy