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US Self-Help Literature and the Call of the East: the Acculturation of Eastern Ideas and Practices with Special Attention to the Period from the 1980S Onwards

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US Self-Help Literature and the Call of the East: the Acculturation of Eastern Ideas and Practices with Special Attention to the Period from the 1980S Onwards US Self-help Literature and the Call of the East: The Acculturation of Eastern Ideas and Practices with Special Attention to the Period from the 1980s Onwards Doctoral Dissertation by Mercè Mur Effing Supervised by Dr. Sara Martín Alegre Doctoral Programme: English/ Filologia Anglesa 2011 Departament de Filologia Anglesa i Germanística de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona For all those who dare to ‘think outside the box’. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Introduction: A Cultural Study of US Self-help Literature and its Eastern Influence.......................................................................................................................... 1 I.I General Aims: Vindicating Self-Help Literature as a Popular Genre .............3 I.II Predecessors: First Attempts at Academic Research in Self-Help Literature.7 I.III Heuristics: A Classificatory Approach.........................................................10 Part One: Self-help Literature and the Shifts in Goal Orientation......................... 17 1.1 A Cultural Studies Heuristic of the Phenomenon of Self-help Literature.....19 1.2 Definition of Self-help: A Challenging Endeavour.......………………..…. 20 1.3 Self-help Literature: Where to Begin?..........................………………..….. 22 1.4 Self-help Literature in the Bookstores: An Array of Different Labels......... 26 1.5 Shift in Goal Orientation throughout the History of Self-help Literature in the US........................................................................................................... 29 1.5.1 First Strand: Franklin, the Protestant Ethic and the American Dream ………………………………………………….……... 30 1.5.2 Second Strand: The Emergence of New Thought and the Belief in Prosperity as a Birthright ……………........................ 46 1.5.3 Third Strand: The Age of ‘Anxiety’ and the Search for Self- fulfilment..................................................................................... 57 1.5.4 Fourth Strand: Eastern Influence in the Self-help Literature Landscape.....................................................................................72 1.5.5 Recapitulation: The Appeal of Self-help Literature in America..84 Part Two: The Attraction of the Far East.................................................................. 87 2.1 The Rise of Eastern Influence in America: A Cultural Studies Heuristic.... 89 2.2 Introduction: The Rise of Eastern influence in America…...………………90 2.2.1 Basic Tenets of Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism…………..… 94 2.2.2 Eastern Concepts in America: New Thought, New Age and Academia……………………………………….…....………. 112 2.2.3 Eastern Practices in Contemporary America……..………….. 135 2.2.4 Eastern Thought and Western Science: A Possible Convergence? ……………………………………………….………………...156 2.2.5 Recapitulation: The Appeal of the Far East in America………172 Part Three: Analysis of Eastern Influence in US Self-help Literature.................. 175 3.1 Heuristic Diagram: Eastern Influence in Five Self-help Literature Books in the US from the 1980s to the 21st Century…...............………………....... 177 3.2 Eastern Influence in American Self-help Literature: A Process of Adoption and Adaptation……………………………………………...……….…... 178 3.2.1 Pioneering the Popularisation of Eastern and Esoteric Philosophy: You Can Heal Your Life (1984) by Louise Hay…………...….….. 184 3.2.2 Japanese Kaizen in American Discourse: Awaken the Giant Within (1991) by Anthony Robbins.……………………………….……. 202 3.2.3 Hindu Philosophy in American Discourse: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success (1994) by Deepak Chopra………………….…...……. 221 3.2.4 Buddhist Philosophy and its Parallels in American Discourse: The Power of Now (1999) by Eckhart Tolle….…………....…….…… 242 3.2.5 Eastern Discourse at the Service of Western Goals: The Secret (2006) by Rhonda Byrne..……………………………………............….. 259 Conclusions and Further Research....…………………….…………………...…... 275 References:.............................................................................................. 289 Primary sources…………………………………………………………………….. 291 Secondary Sources: Books………………………………………………………………………… 296 Chapters in Books ……….…………………………………………………. 315 Journal Articles……………………………………………………………... 316 Articles from the Internet………………………………………………….. 326 Websites of the Authors Analysed………………………...………………………. 330 Films Cited………………………………………………………....................…...... 330 Dictionaries..…………………………………………………………….…………... 331 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS After over three years of sometimes ‘obsessive’ work in which I was immersed in books and ‘lost’ in bookshops and libraries, often bashing the keyboard of my computer for hours on end, my heart feels profound thankfulness to David, who, like a pillar of strength, has always been there for me when tiredness was creeping in, when I doubted my own capacity to embark on such an ambitious project and when family matters and house work had to be taken over because of my mental, and sometimes even physical, absence in our home. I have no words to describe my gratefulness and appreciation for his love, encouragement, patience and moral support at all times, as well as for his insights on the topic of my dissertation and his precious advice. Likewise, I would like to thank our daughter Judith, for her understanding and for her love. She has seen me ‘stuck to my computer’ through important years of her adolescent life. Before she was born, sixteen years ago, I had started my doctoral dissertation, but then she arrived, and my priorities changed. I enjoyed being a devoted mother, putting my heart and soul into it. When she was about twelve or thirteen I thought that it was probably time to ‘close the cycle’ which I had left open many years before. Thus, both of us often ‘studied together’ side by side, Judy doing her homework, me working on my dissertation, sharing many moments of beautiful quiet company. Of course, I have to express my sincere gratitude to my whole family and close friends for their ongoing encouragement, and, especially, to Sigrid, my mother, who, over twenty-five years ago recovered ‘miraculously’ from a life-threatening disease. She showed me how powerful the effect of a self-help literature book could be. The book helped her to change her attitude to life, and opened up the doors of forgiveness and healing. Her example of really putting into practice everything she was told to do, and her eager desire to learn and improve, is an inspiration which touches my heart. I thank her for her unconditional love and for being a living example of positive attitude in spite of the hard experiences that she has had to go through in her life. I also owe special thanks to Akira, who has always been like a father to me. He came into my life when I was about eight years old, and his presence made me aware of a whole new world called the Far East. His delicious Japanese cuisine, his stories about Japan and its people, his ‘origami’, as well as his Aikido practice produced, from very early on in me a fascination with Eastern thought and practices. I deeply thank him for his loving and ever-supportive presence in my life. I am also indebted to my colleague, Dr. Dolors Català, for reminding me that I could indeed write my dissertation on any topic I found truly motivating, even if it was one on an area which has been barely dealt with previously in the academic world. Likewise, I am grateful to Dr. David Sutcliffe for his interest in the topic of my dissertation and for his insights and suggestions; and also to my friend Marta Soriano for her wise words and all the books she lent me on Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism. My thankfulness goes to Carme Ferri. Our daily walks along the beach of Caldes d’Estrac and our long conversations about psychology and about different self-help books are cherished in my heart. Last but not least, I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Sara Martín for her constant support and encouragement. From the very first moment I told her about the theme I wanted to work on, she expressed great enthusiasm and interest. Her efficiency, clarity of mind, as well as her useful advice and attention to detail have been invaluable for the successful completion of this dissertation. US Self-help Literature and the Call of the East INTRODUCTION A Cultural Study of US Self-help Literature and its Eastern Influence 1 US Self-help Literature and the Call of the East 2 US Self-help Literature and the Call of the East I.I General Aims: Vindicating Self-Help Literature as a Popular Genre Writing a doctoral dissertation on self-help literature and, specifically, on the adoption and adaptation of Eastern (mainly Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist) concepts and techniques is certainly not an easy task for several reasons. First of all, the ambiguity of the term ‘self-help’ makes it anything but easy to define the genre, as I will elaborate on in sections 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4. Secondly, when talking about ‘literature’ in this context, it is important to clarify that the texts I am going to analyse here have nothing to do with the traditional literary canon accepted worldwide in academic circles. Thirdly, when occasionally referring to the ‘popular genre of self-help literature’, I use the term ‘genre’ to cover a set of popular texts with a long tradition, which share various characteristics: a pragmatic, goal-oriented intention (with the reader in mind); certain shared structural similarities; and no pretence to claim a literary value. My background of over twenty years as a Business English teacher at the Business School of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona has, without any
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