The Higher Self in Christopher Brennan’s Poems: Esotericism, Romanticism, Symbolism

In 1914 a remarkable poetic work appeared in Sydney, Australia, written in the form of a Symbolist livre compose by one of Stephane Mallarme’s earliest admirers, Christopher Brennan. The book, simply titled Poems, shows that Brennan was exploring pressing religious issues of his time. He melded Western esoteric currents such as alchemy and Rosicrucianism with Romantic literature and philosophy and French Symbolist theory.
This book argues that the focus of Poems is the notion of a higher self. It is the first major study of Brennan’s work in this broad religious, philosophical and literary context. Its argument is supported by evidence from Brennan’s own library and the holdings of the Sydney library in which he worked.