24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thankfully, This Is Not Another Self Help Book., February 26, 2008
This review is from: Mythic Figures: Uniform Edition of the Writings of James Hillman, Vol. 6.1 (James Hillman Uniform Edition) (Hardcover)
In this handsome edition, it's easy to see that Dr. Hillman is not afraid of a little controversy, and in fact, he quite often breaks from the more comfortable realms of psychology and analysis. The essays/transcripts whithin cover a large part of his lecturing career, and we find him, not sitting back in an office chair, musing on the minds and souls of others, but actively engaging his audience and readers, the world over.
The title, "Mythic Figures", could be considered a cornerstone of Hillman's thinking and writing, as it is the way in which he demonstrates access to the naturally mercurial nature of the psyche-soul complex: The theory is that by invoking these grand archetypes that exist in us all, we may come to understand ourselves better.
I found that in this collection, there is much reference to Classical Western Philosphy and ancient Greek traditions, and of course, Jung and Freud's work, but Hillman is a gracious enough writer to never alienate the reader with a dense cloud of intellectualism. He takes care to clarify his historical points and gives plenty footnotes and bibliographical information to those who wish to delve deeper in to the subjects he touches on.
As a layperson of average intelligence with an interest in Jungian psychology and it's related fields, I feel this book is very worthwhile to read and re-read: Non-academics need not be afraid! However, if one hasnt read any of his work before, a better introduction to Hillman's style might be A Blue Flame, another collection of essays, or his well-known title, The Soul's Code.
And again, Mythic Figures is a beautiful little book, as you'll find all books from Spring Publications are: Well edited, lovely typography, high quality all around.
(Oh yes, I would give this review only four and not five stars because the book did not include a magical cure for all the woes and sorrows of the human condition.)
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