Forms of Concrescence

This intellectual archaeology digs into how three major archaeological discoveries—the Palace of Knossos, the Royal Cemetery of Ur, and the Tomb of Tutankhamen—fundamentally reshaped the narrative landscape of European Modernism. The book meticulously traces how the artifacts and myths unearthed from these sites were absorbed into the literary strategies of the movement, offering a fresh lens through which to view canonical works. It presents a compelling new argument by identifying four central mythic configurations that became crucial to the modernist project.

The book's distinct contribution lies in its detailed analysis of the maze, alchemy, the Great Goddess, and the Apocalypse as recurring symbolic structures that provided a framework for modernist writers grappling with a fragmented world. Readers with a deep interest in literary theory, the history of archaeology, and the cross-pollination of ancient and modern thought will find this a revelatory text. It successfully demonstrates how the distant past was excavated not just from the earth, but also from the collective psyche to forge a new artistic future.