Readers of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell will be familiar with the concept of archetypes, symbolic figures that embody key aspects of our contradictory nature, from the hero to the fool. The highly innovative and gorgeously illustrated series, Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious: Reflecting American Culture through Literature and Art, considers American variations on these ancient themes in volumes that combine provocative writings, Native American myths, and extraordinarily well chosen images, both handmade and photographic.The archetypal romantic lover stands for "the single greatest energy system that governs our lives," writes Jungian analyst Robert Johnson in his wise and reflective introduction to
The Lover. Johnson cautions that for all its passion and excitement, however, romantic love is also the source of painful illusions, and love's many faces are revealed in stories, essays, and poems rich in sensuality, psychological subtlety, irony, and humor. Intense and revealing vignettes by Lydia Davis, Joe Balay, and Joyce Carol Oates vie with Mark Twain's satirically keen "From the Diaries of Adam and Eve," while arresting juxtapositions of text and picture make this volume particularly alluring.
Donna SeamanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Robert A. Johnson is a noted lecturer and Jungian analyst. He is the author of
Ecstasy: Understanding the Psychology of Joy.
See all 8 books this book cites
