Eternity, Ego and Nature: An Analysis of the Theme of Nostalgia in <i>The Journey to the East</i> from the Religious Ideas of Eliade

HUANG Zengxi

doi:10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20214305

Volume 4 Issue 3

Sep. 2022

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HUANG Zengxi. Eternity, Ego and Nature: An Analysis of the Theme of Nostalgia in The Journey to the East from the Religious Ideas of Eliade[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2021, 4(3): 488-508. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20214305

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HUANG Zengxi. Eternity, Ego and Nature: An Analysis of the Theme of Nostalgia in The Journey to the East from the Religious Ideas of Eliade[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2021, 4(3): 488-508. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20214305

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Eternity, Ego and Nature: An Analysis of the Theme of Nostalgia in The Journey to the East from the Religious Ideas of Eliade

doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20214305

HUANG Zengxi^,

Yunnan University

Received Date: 2020-10-18
Accepted Date: 2021-01-04

Abstract

Abstract

The Journey to the East is regarded as an important transformational work for Hermann Hesse. For long, due to the use of cryptic language, symbols, and metaphors, the subject and many details of the book are ambiguous and controversial. Given the similarities between Hesse and Eliade in ideological inclination and cultural standpoint, this paper analyzes the theme of nostalgia in The Journey to the East in the light of Eliade's relevant theories of religion. For Eliade, religions convey a nostalgia of human beings for the perfect mythical paradise. Although traditional religions have faded in the modern world,the nostalgia for paradise as a heritage has been preserved in modern culture,literature, and art. Combining with other representative works of Hesse, the theme of nostalgia in The Journey to the East contains three dimensions—eternity, ego, and nature—echoing the nostalgia for paradise described by Eliade on many levels. To be specific, the novel describes man's spiritual journey to conquer temporal existence and search for an eternal home, as well as the individual's symbolic journey to overcome the existence of polarity and pursue the whole ego. At the same time, it is also a utopian journey of human beings surmounting the confrontation with nature and recovering their original harmony. Although Hesse was inclined to place his hope of overcoming modern spiritual crisis mainly in the arts, his thoughts,in the case of the root of crisis and the way of overcoming the crisis, contained a deep religious background. It was, all the time, wavering between arts and religion.Thus, there exists an evident continuity between The Journey to the East and his earlier works. This interpretation of The Journey to the East from the perspective of Eliade's religious theory helps to not only clarify many blurred details in the work,but also to provide a holistic reference for studying Hesse's other works.
- The Journey to the East,
- nostalgia for paradise,
- eternity,
- ego,
- nature

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References(47)

References

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