Abstract

Taking the artistic return to "primitive symbols" to be a sign of renewed religious consciousness, Mr. Baird analyzes in detail the use and meaning of symbols in the work of Melville, Gaugin, Stevenson, and others who have travelled in the East. The author, who is much influenced by Jung and Langer, finds this atavistic return promising both artistically and culturally. An erudite work, critically perceptive, but far more valuable for its literary insights than for its psychological theses.--A. R.