Mystic Moderns

This book explores how three British authors—Evelyn Underhill, May Sinclair, and Mary Webb—responded to the rise of modernity and the First World War. They challenged the notion that a modern, rational world had no place for mystical experience, instead asserting its importance for personal agency and their identities as women. Their writings, drawing on ideas of "vital energy," helped shape a new understanding of spirituality, distinct from traditional religion or paranormal fads. The study offers a historical look at how self-constructed spiritual experiences became a significant part of modern identity.