For any literary teenager in the '60s, reading Kerouac's "On the Road" was a must. But immediately following that came Hermann Hesse's study of the Buddha's early life, "Siddhartha." It comes as no surprise, for Hesse was one of the major literary influences on the Beat generation ("Siddhartha" was

Contemplative, Modernist literature, Mythic, Self-reflection, Sincere, Spiritual

In 1922, Rainer Maria Rilke was staying at the Chateau de Muzot in Switzerland. His masterwork, the "Duino Elegies," had lain unfinished for seven years, and the poet was hoping to find some peace and solitude in which to complete it. Rilke had recently come across a Renaissance painting of the mythi

Contemplative, Pathos, Romantic poetry, Spiritual, Sublime

The nineteenth century was a literary age characterized by Realism in prose and Romanticism in poetry. If the poems of Emily Dickinson had been published during her lifetime, however,things might have been very different. Dickinson's work is full of revolutionary impulses, despite her reclusive lifes

Composed, Contemplative, Implosive, Intimate, Minimal, Romantic poetry, Women's literature

Considered one of the most important Modernist writers, William Faulkner is known for his searing excavations into the core of the pain, pride, and prejudices of the antebellum South. His novels explore many subjects in many voices. His narrators range from children to murderers, the insane, and the

Contemplative, Dark, Enigmatic, Religious, Southern gothic, Surreal, Visceral