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Myth and Meaning: Cracking the Code of Culture

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MYTH AND MEANING is a short and easily-digestible work based on a series of interviews and discussions delivered by the venerable French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss and broadcast by Canadian radio in 1977. Its informal and conversational style (based on his responses to a series of questions posed by the CBC producer who is interviewing him) allows us broad-stroke insight into Lévi-Strauss's development of structuralism and his theories about science.

A self-professed "non-scientist" with a strong interest in science, Lévi-Strauss begins by outlining the divergence between science and "mythical and mystical thought" which began to occur around the 17th century in European intellectual traditions. The result is, we are lead to believe, that we have somehow lost something: something we may yet strive to regain or at least try to understand better.

Lévi-Strauss makes the argument that `primitive' thought is as rich and complex as so-called `civilized' thought, debunking various functionalist and traditional viewpoints that deny the savage mind has the ability to think both disinterestedly and intellectually. "In order for a culture to be really itself... its members must be convinced of their originality and even... of their superiority over the others." Mythical thinking may be the originality that we have lost in modern life.

One gets the sense that Lévi-Strauss develops his theories as he speaks-extemporaneously. He almost admits as much in his introduction: "I forget what I have written practically as soon as it is finished... I have the feeling that my books get written through me and that once [finished], I feel empty and nothing is left." Some of his explanations of particular myths, though entertaining, are a bit "out there" and border implausibility. One may reproach him for his methods or dispute his theories, but no one can deny that MYTH AND MEANING provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of this original and controversial thinker.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

This book, based on interviews Levi-Strauss conducted with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the late '70s, is extremely clear and easy to understand for non-anthropologists like myself. He explains his views about how rational science and mythology branched off from each other in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, leading us to a situation where today we experience life differently that do 'primitive' tribes who use myths to explain the world around them. Levi-Strauss notes, however, that, while these peoples may not be as accurate in describing the world as we are with our modern science, they do possess a great deal of knowledge which we have lost on an individual level, i.e., knowledge about plants and stars. Mythology, he claims, functions like history and science for these people; for an example Levi-Strauss focuses his attention on the meaning of American myths about twins, hare(lips) and babies born feet first.

All this is quite well laid out and easy to read. However, the last chapter deals with music and mythology, and here Levi-Strauss badly missteps. He postulates that the decline in mythology that accompanied the rise of modern science coincided with the creation of great music by the likes of Bach, Haydn and Mozart that drew upon the same sources of inspiration as mythology. He spends several pages in a structural critique of Wagner's Ring which, albeit fascinating, is highly questionable. Furthermore, at the end of the book he suggests, quite wildly, that serial music is now poised to overtake the modern novel, which arose at the same time as modern science, in importance.

This weak section at the end notwithstanding, however, this is a good book for anyone interested in Levi-Strauss's groundbreaking work.

This is an excellent and very short intro to the work the of famed anthropologist Levi-Strauss. It breaks down to a large extent his basic ideas about the structural analysis of myth and provides an opportunity into the thoughts and opinions of the father of structural anthropology. It's mostly taken as a transcript from a series of lectures he gave outlining major themes he's covered in his work.

If you like this book and wish to read more by him I'd recommend The Raw and the Cooked and his classic work, Structural Anthropology.

Meaning and Myth is a short collection of Levi-Strauss' lectures. It is remarkable because it gives insight into the thoughts of this famous anthropologist. The recorded lectures were given orally, which creates new respect for the genius of a man who could speak so fluently and eloquently in a language that is not his native tongue.

If you have no interest in anthropology, you will probably not enjoy the book, but if you have a stong interest, this is a great way to start to understand the mind of one of the world's greatest anthropologists.

Also, the foreword by Wendy Doniger was one of the funniest, cleverest, most insightful forewords I have read. This surprised me immensely since I usually hate any part of a book not written by the author.

I highly recommend "Mening and Myth: Cracking the Code of Culture" if you have an academic interest in the subject of anthropology and are looking for a starting point.

The book is a recommended introduction to anthropology and the theories of Levi-Strauss. Myth and Meaning: Cracking the Code of Culture describes, among other things, how some myths have certain attributes common in between them and how they would evolve. The author describes how in certain cultures twins are viewed as evil and theories how that might have evolved. At the end, the book discusses how myths should be interpreted.

Claude Lévi-Strauss is considered one of the fathers of modern anthropology. His most enduring contribution to the field has been the notion that the "savage" mind engages essentially in the same kind of thought processes as the "moderns" do. In "Myth and Meaning" Lévi-Strauss concentrates on myths in particular, and argues that myths are far from being naïve fairly tales and are actually a very sophisticated narratives that capture a lot of important concepts and meanings.

This is a very readable little book, and is probably the best introduction to the writings of Lévi-Strauss. It will challenge some of your preconceptions and induce you to rethink the way you have been thinking about myths and meanings.

This slim volume is a collection of interviews by anthropologist Cluade Levi-Struass on the origin of myth and its role in the human experience. Levi-Strauss begins by reminding readers of the (fairly) recent divorce of myth from "science", defining what myth really is, and how it is different from the quantitative and rational world of science. From there, he addresses the common misconception that those who hold to myth are 'less civilized' (my choice of words, not his) from those who adhere to 'science.' Levi-Strauss points out that both serve similar social functions. The final third describes how a particular myth origninates and spreads from culture to culture. As a scholar with a passing (non-professional) interest in folklore, this was of most interest to me.

Its a short read (54 pages), but its relative size is by no means a reflection of the depth of thought presented here. Of particular note is the wit and humor of Levi-Strauss as he explains and connects ideas. Off with Their Heads! Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood touches on many similar ponts in much greater detail.

This book was hard to put down. While it's a very short text, it has really whet my appetite for more of his books. I would also recommend this book as an introduction to the work of Lévi-Strauss.
Something that makes the book so accessible is that, as explained in the first few pages of the text, his ideas are simplified because he is discussing his ideas in English (his second language). However, they still maintain a richness that I think would be lost if someone else were to try to translate or simplify his ideas.

This is the perfect summary of Levi-Strauss' thinking. It's an edited transcript of a series of lectures he made, and recapitulates the essence of his work. There's no easier or faster way to understand this seminal social scientist, either as an introduction to his other works or as a refresher.

Levi-Strauss is preeminent in dissecting culture to reveal the underlying values, strengths, and dynamics. Myth and Meaning is an excellent read, however minimal in size.