Holy Sparkes of Heavenly Fire: A Psychoanalytic Reading of the Poetry of Edward Taylor

Left unpublished for over 200 years, the poetry of colonial American writer Edward Taylor has left an undeniable impact on the American literary landscape. Upon its release, the concrete, carnal, and, to some, scandalous content and language of his poetry seemed to stand in contradiction with the man himself, a minister and doctrinaire Puritan. This book presents a psychoanalytic reading of both Taylors’ religion and his poetry, shedding light on the language which has so puzzled readers since its initial publication.

Michael Reed is an emeritus professor from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. He has published several articles on early American writers and Nineteenth Century history from a psychoanalytic perspective.