Secret Selves: A History of our Inner Space

by Stephen Prickett

Who are we and how do we define our inner selves?

In his last work, Professor Stephen Prickett presents a literary and cultural exploration of our inner selves – and how we have created and written about them – from the Old Testament to social media.

What he finds is that although our secret, inner, sense of self – what we feel makes us distinctively 'us' – seems a natural and permanent part of being human, it is in fact surprisingly new. Whilst confessional religious writings, from Augustine to Jane Austen, or even diaries of 20th-century Holocaust victims, have explored inwards as part of a path to self-discovery, our inner space has expanded beyond any possible personal experience. This development has enhanced our capacity not merely to write about what we have never seen, but even to create fantasies and impossible fictions around them.

Yet our secret selves can also be a source of terror. The fringes of our inner worlds are often porous, ill-defined and susceptible to frightening forms of external control. Mystics and poets, from Dante to John Henry Newman or Gerard Manley Hopkins, sought God in their secret spaces not least because they feared the 'abyss beneath.'

From the origin of human consciousness through modern history and into the future, Secret Selves uses literature to consider the profound possibilities and ramifications of our evolving ideas of self.

272 pages, Hardcover

Published August 26, 2021

Reviews

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secret Selves by Stephen Prickett is a very interesting read that serves more as an information source than as a well-rounded history. But there is nothing wrong with that, as he sub-titled it himself, it is 'A' history, not 'The' history. In other words, one way of thinking and framing the history of inwardness, or more accurately in this case, imagination as it applies to individuality.

My rating is slightly higher than what I personally rate it because my issues with it have more to do with becoming weary of his presentation of his mythology (Christianity) as fact rather than mythology. I understand to him, and other believers, it appears as fact, but it has not, and will not, be proven as such, so continuously making it seem so just gets old after a while, especially when it is not necessary for his argument or history.

That said, his readings of the works he uses were very interesting and alone make the book worthwhile. Not really any groundbreaking ideas but I don't think that was what he was trying to do. He was plotting a path, as he saw it, from a more groupthink/external way of identifying to the more individualistic and largely internal way of identifying.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in a history of, or perhaps a series of stops on the path of, our evolving sense of inwardness, interiority, and identifying.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astonishing look at… myself.

Or what makes me, me. Or how society, religion, culture and place shaped my inner self. Who do I connect with? How do I develop, and when, the thoughts, the things that make up… me. There’s a lot of ‘me’ so far but that’s really what this author worked me through. Through ancient history to modern. Through the words of religious figures and texts, scholars, bright minds and thinkers of the centuries, their thoughts on what defines our inner selves, or ‘spaces’, was laid out.

And I found it fascinating. So many different observations by a wide range of people offering their insights and conclusions on what they felt about these ‘spaces’. While some of these observations felt like conclusions based on the author’s own experience and truths, these educated guesses also afforded me the opportunity to take his and all the perspectives to start drawing conclusions of my own. How were my inner spaces drawn? What did they say about me?

I’m certain I don’t have all the answers but this book gave me a lot to think about and much to explore further. This was a satisfying read - scholarly but with a relatable style that kept me entertained and learning throughout.

*I happily reviewed this book
**Thank you to NetGalley

[Kid Ferrous · Rating 3 out of 5]

This immensely interesting book is a history of the evolution of human understanding of our inner world - the internal 'I' which we all take for granted. Author Stephen Prickett has written an erudite yet accessible work in a very readable style while still dealing with quite complex ideas and concepts. Beginning in Biblical times he examines the gradual development of the inner self and the eventual move towards a scientific rather than supernatural explanation for dreams and "divine intervention", with plenty of examples.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provocative, taking you on a journey through history and literature art and modern life with a view fixed on the inner self, a different perspective and one that leaves you feeling deeply reflective.

[Glauber Ribeiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a trip! Always interesting and sometimes surprising journey into the very idea of self and how it evolved and grew over time, as documented in literature, philosophy and theology.