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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
A great introduction to myth, 3 Jul 2006
As someone who has a real interest in myth, its origins and its uses, but has found the likes of Joseph Campbell (who Armstrong references regularly) somewhat over my head, this was a very accessible and enjoyable read. She doesn't assume previous knowledge of the great mythologies, and builds a solid foundation from which to decide a future direction in one's reading.
The final chapter, "The Great Western Transformation," makes her perspective regarding the famine of mythology in the modern world clear and is very persuasive, although I was surprised and somewhat disappointed to find she did not touch on Jung in particular and pyschoanalytical theory in general. I empathised with, rather than believed in, her conclusions regarding the power of the novel as a replacement for myth.
But overall, a thought-provoking introduction into a facinating topic.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Well written, concise, 29 Dec 2005
In this brief account, Karen Armstrong looks at the general changes in mankind's mythologising that have occurred over the Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages, the early civilisations, the 'Axial Age' (800 to 200 BCE), up to modern times. It is interesting to see how changes in the way we live have caused corresponding changes in our myths: Palaeolithic hunters were concerned with pacifying the spirits of the animals they killed, whereas Neolithic farmers' myths were more to do with the ground and the natural forces that affected their crop-raising.
In her introduction, Armstrong points out how mythical thinking is different from the rational or scientific-minded thinking that predominates today, though it is interesting to note that even the earliest men of the Palaeolithic period seemed to sense a gap in their lives, a separation from the world of their myths. The final chapter, The Great Western Transformation, looks at how art has come to replace sacred myth in our demythologised culture.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Good points and bad, but largely good!, 24 May 2006
I must confess I did enjoy this book, and it acts as a good introduction to the Myths series. It deals with a vast range of myths and, perhaps more importantly, their contexts, something missed in many tellings of old stories. The old favourites such as the descent of Persephone are recounted as are the oft-neglected Mesopotamian myths. Armstrong also successfully deals with the place of myth in people's lives and society throughout the ages, tackling the resurgence of myth as well as the great western drive towards logic and science over the study of myths and symbolism.
I do have a few gripes however, as a student of Anthropology I have to note that her portrayal of early Homo sapiens and other hominids tends to be a bit askew, seemingly biased by the typical "caveman hunter" stereotype and how this would affect myths and world-views. In actuality most hunter-gatherer peoples in relatively good areas of land largely relied (and rely) on plant materials, not on hunting. Hunting provided a small percentage of food, other than in difficult areas such as the far north (ie modern Inuits). This aside, her theories provide much of interest, and although not the most complete book on the subject, "A short history of myth" acts as a very good starting point.
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