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Paperback A Short History of Myth Book

ISBN: 184195800X

ISBN13: 9781841958002

A Short History of Myth

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Book Overview

"Human beings have always been mythmakers." So begins best-selling writer Karen Armstrong's concise yet compelling investigation into myth: what it is, how it has evolved, and why we still so desperately need it. She takes us from the Paleolithic period and the myths of the hunters right up to the "Great Western Transformation" of the last five hundred years and the discrediting of myth by science. The history of myth is the history of humanity, our stories and beliefs, our curiosity and attempts to understand the world, which link us to our ancestors and each other. Heralding a major series of retellings of international myths by authors from around the world, Armstrong's characteristically insightful and eloquent book serves as a brilliant and thought-provoking introduction to myth in the broadest sense--and explains why if we dismiss it, we do so at our peril.

Customer Reviews

7 customer ratings | 3 reviews

Rated 4 stars
Good short introduction to mythology and story.

If you're just getting into mythology and don't want to bog yourself down with something long (like these kinds of books tend to be) then this is a good appetizer.

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Rated 5 stars
Read IT!

An excellent, realtively brief account about the human history of "Myth(God)" and it's essential importance to human existence.

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Rated 5 stars
Excellent source for thinking people & for teaching about mythology

Karen Armstrong's *A Short History of Myth* is a tour de force. Not limited to a discussion of what society often thinks of when they think of "myth," Armstrong explains how the mystical/spiritual dimension of humans has expressed itself. Myth, she shows, is not something "false" but is, rather a way of expressing deep truths. She describes its beginnnings among earliest hominids and explains clearly how it was affected...

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Rated 5 stars
An excellet introduction

This book offers an excellent presentation of the category of myth--what myths are, why they exist, what they provide, how they function in society as well as in individuals. It is both clear and concise; in no sense is it necessary to be familiar with the field in order to understand it. Please be advised that the book is not an anthology of myths. It provides an introduction to myth that would be helpful in a course on...

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Rated 5 stars
More than a history

Firstly, this book was used as an introduction to my college mythology class. While she does a good job of giving you a brief history of myths and mythology, the place where this book really shines is in her explanation about how ancient peoples thought of myth and what kind of role they played in their lives. She especially talks about the interaction between mythos and logos in ancient times and the modern concept of taking...

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