Apocalypse and/or Metamorphosis

222 Pages·1991·10.943 MB·English

by  Norman O. Brown

BOSTON
PUBLIC
LIBRARY

Apocalypse
and/or
Metamorphosis

Apocalypse
and/or
Metamorphosis
Norman O. Brown
University of California Press
Berkeley • Los Angeles • Oxford
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
Oxford, England
© 1991 by
The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Norman Oliver, 1913—
Apocalypse and/or metamorphosis / Norman O. Brown,
p. cm.
Contents: Apocalypse—Daphne, or Metamorphosis—My georgics
Metamorphoses II—The prophetic tradition—The apocalypse of
Islam—Philosophy and prophecy—The turn to Spinoza—
Metamorphoses III—Revisioning historical identities—Dionysus
in 1990.
ISBN 0-520-07298-7 (alk. paper)
1. Civilization—Philosophy. 2. Civilization—Psychological
aspects. 3. Intellect. I. Title.
CB19.B685 1991
901-dc20 90-47940
CIP
Printed in the United States of America
987654321
•
The paper used in this publication meets the
minimum requirements of American National
Standard for Information Sciences—
Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
©
Material, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
Kai fjLT) (rv(rxr}fJLaTL^e(T0e rd> ai&vi tovtq), dtkkd ^erayLOp<\>-
ovcrOe rf) avotKaivoMJEi rov ^069 v/avv.
And be not conformed to this world [be nonconformists]; but be
ye transformed [metamorphose yourselves] by the renewing of
your mind.
Romans 12:2

Contents
reface
Apocalypse:
The Place of Mystery in the Life
of the Mind
Daphne, or Metamorphosis
My
Georgics:
A Palinode in Praise of Work
Metamorphoses
II:
Actaeon
The Prophetic Tradition
The Apocalypse of Islam
Philosophy and Prophecy:
Spinoza's Hermeneutics
The Turn to Spinoza
Metamorphoses
III:
The Divine Narcissus
Revisioning Historical Identities
Dionysus in 1990