Writing beyond Prophecy: Emerson, Hawthorne, and Melville After the American Renaissance

Early in their careers, these three authors positioned their literary pursuits as an alternative to the ministry. By presenting a “”new revelation”” and a new set of “”gospels”” for the nineteenth century, they sought to usurp the authority of the pulpit. Later in life, each writer came to recognize the audacity of his earlier work, creating what Kevorkian characterizes as a literary aftermath. Strikingly, each author later wrote about the character of a young divinity student torn by a crisis of faith and vocation. Writing beyond Prophecy gives a distinctive shape to the late careers of Emerson, Hawthorne, and Melville and offers a cohesive account of the lingering religious devotion left in the wake of American Romanticism.