A World of their Own Making : Myth, Ritual, and the Quest for Family Values
Gillis, John
ISBN 10: 0465054145 ISBN 13: 9780465054145
Published by Perseus Books Group, 1996
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Hardcover
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Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
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About this Item
Description:
Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # GRP88965281
Synopsis:
Our whole society may be obsessed with "family values," but, as historian John Gillis points out in this entertaining and eye-opening narrative, most of our images of "home sweet home" are of very recent vintage. In fact, our most cherished family rituals (Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, white weddings, reunions, Father's Day, and Mother's Day) didn't even exist until the Victorian era.
A World of Their Own Making questions our idealized notion of "The Family," a mind-set in which myth and symbol still hold sway. As the families we live with become more fragile, the symbolic families we live by become more powerful. Yet it is only by accepting the notion that our rituals, myths, and images must be open to perpetual revision that we can satisfy our human needs and changing circumstances. Our families are worlds of our own making. By using the past to throw light on the present, Gillis empowers us to enjoy and accept responsibility for our own creations.
About the Author: John R. Gillis is a professor of history at Rutgers University.
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Bibliographic Details
Title: A World of their Own Making : Myth, Ritual, ...
Publisher: Perseus Books Group
Publication Date: 1996
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good
Edition: 1st.