For Love of the Farther Shore: Kenneth Burke's Mythic Imagery of Mysticism and Transcendence.

The article focuses on Kenneth Burke’s use of mythic imagery to explore mysticism and transcendence within his rhetorical theory. It examines Burke’s concept of “pontification” as the symbolic bridging of temporal and eternal realms, situating his thought in a pantheistic framework influenced by Spinoza’s notion of “God or Nature.” Burke views language not merely as a tool for communication but as a fundamental motive intrinsic to human nature, with pure linguistic action (dialectic) leading to transcendence, contrasted with rhetoric’s inherent self-defeating pursuit of external ends. The analysis highlights Burke’s dialectical climb from rhetoric through mysticism toward an ultimate unity or “farther shore,” symbolized mythically by rivers and the longing for transcendence beyond life and death. This framework positions Burke’s rhetoric as ontologically grounded, emphasizing the interplay of language, symbolic action, and the human quest for meaning beyond divisive social and political binaries.