"At long last, an up-to-date, theoretically sophisticated exploration of the history of religions and religious studies and their development in the twentieth century! Focusing on the many ways in which influential scholars have creatively managed an intrinsic tension between aesthetic sensitivity and scientific commitment, Gold provides a richly documented account. Aesthetics and Analysis in Writing on Religion is one of those very rare discipline-oriented books that both illumines the past and establishes a creative trajectory for the future."