The Virgin Mary As Alchemical and Lullian Reference in Donne

Albrecht traces Donne's ecumenical vision back to Ramon Lull (1232- 1316?), to Lull's disciple Pico della Mirandola, and to the Jewish cabala. She shows their influence on Donne's Essays in Divinity and his use of Mary to convert Muslims and Jews. Albrecht also argues that Donne incorporated the corporeal images of medieval iconography into Lull's mnemotechnics to construct his own text as another version of ars combinatorial, a technique she contends anticipates modern film practice. Distributed by Associated University Presses. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR