Mythologies (2 Volumes) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226064530 ISBN 13: 9780226064536

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1991

Synopsis

With 395 original articles written by leading scholars, it is a remarkable encounter with the mythologies of cultures past and present—the web of stories, traditions, rituals, practices, beliefs, divine figures, sacred objects, and great themes that define civilization.

Drawing on a breathtaking array of sources, from the history of religions to anthropology, archaeology, literature, and linguistics, the contributors define a new approach to the understanding of myth in society.

For this first English-language edition, the articles have been rearranged by region or culture. Together they comprise an exceptionally broad, stimulating introduction to the religious and mythical traditions of the world—from the idea of death in Ancient Egypt to the ideology of nationalism in modern Europe. Greeks and Romans are here in force, naturally, but so too are the Bantu, Dinka, and Dogon of Africa and the Armenians, Mongols, and Turks of Asia.

Readers of Mythologies will discover a wealth of fresh primary sources on such little known traditions as those of the Vietnamese—and bold, provocative new interpretations of well-studied traditions, such as those of classical Greece.

About this title

About the Author

Yves Bonnefoy (1923–2016) is recognized as the greatest French poet of the past fifty years. By the time of his death,  he had published eleven major collections of poetry in verse and prose, several books of tales, and numerous studies of literature and art.

From the Back Cover

This is a comprehensive reference and research source that offers new ways to understand the power of myth and tradition across cultures and centuries.

Reviews

This collection of 395 articles was compiled by Bonnefoy (comparative poetics, College de France). Although it looks like an encyclopedia, it is not. Instead, as translator Doniger says in the introduction, it is "a collection of essays on some aspects of some mythologies written by a group of brilliant and philosophically complex French scholars and is highly opinionated and original." It is also highly inconsistent in coverage, having little to say about Judaism or Islam and offering only two essays on Buddhism. It often seems to be more about methodology than mythology. These criticisms, however, should not obscure the fact that this is a fascinatingly original if somewhat quirky and idiosyncratic collection of essays. As a reference book it leaves much to be desired. As a unique contribution to the study of mythology, it should be in every library with special interest in the field.
- C. Robert Nixon, M.L.S., Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0226064530
• ISBN 13: 9780226064536
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1306
• Editor: Bonnefoy Yves