Edward Bulwer-Lytton: Anti-Materialism and the Return to Nature in a Commercial Economy (original) (raw)

The paper explores Edward Bulwer-Lytton's engagement with anti-materialism and his advocacy for a return to nature within the context of a commercial economy. It examines Bulwer-Lytton's critiques of contemporary societal norms, his literary contributions that challenged rationalism with themes of occultism, and his reflections on the declining influence of aristocracy in a market-oriented society. By contextualizing Bulwer-Lytton within the broader movements of nineteenth-century occultism and Romanticism, the paper underscores his attempt to reconcile the spiritual with the socio-economic shifts of his time.