Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times [Hardcover]

Carol Zaleski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 1987

In the past decade there has been an explosion of interest in "near-death" experiences. Dozens of books, articles, television shows, and films have appeared in which people who have survived a close brush with death reveal their extraordinary visions and ecstatic feelings at the moment they "died". They tell of journeying through a tunnel to a realm of light, seeing a visual record of their past deeds, encountering a benevolent spirit, and returning to life permanently transformed. What do these experiences mean? Does visionary testimony prove that life continues after death? What does the popularity of these reports tell us about our culture? Otherworld Journeys is the most comprehensive treatment to date of the evidence surrounding near-death experiences. Zaleski looks at researchers' findings, first-person accounts of survivors, and possible medical or psychological explanations. She is the first to place this material in historical perspective, pointing out the ways in which it reflects the influence of contemporary culture. The book shows that modern near-death reports belong to a vast family of otherworld journey tales, with representatives in nearly ever religious heritage. In order to identify universal as well as culturally specific features, Zaleski compares near-death narratives in two distinct periods of Western society: medieval Christendom and twentieth-century secular America. She calls attention to the profound similarities, such as the life-review and the transforming after-effects of the vision, and to striking contrasts, such as the absence of hell or punishment scenes from modern accounts. Finally, Zaleski considers current efforts to explain near-death experience scientifically, mediating between the "debunkers" and the near-death researchers. She concludes by suggesting that the otherworld vision is a key for understanding imaginative and religious experience in general.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Zaleski has had the excellent idea of putting recent near-death narratives in perspective by comparing them with those of an earlier period.... An extremely interesting piece of work, and one that offers many shrewd insights."--The New York Times

"Wide-ranging and profound.... Highly recommended."--Library Journal

About the Author

Carol Zaleski, Associate Professor of Religion and Biblical Literature, Smith College.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1St Edition edition (March 26, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195039157
• ISBN-13: 978-0195039153
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #991,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fair and Fascinating study, August 1, 2000

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times (Paperback)

I imagine it would be difficult to write an unbiased book about near-death experiences, especially if you had a religious bone to pick. However, Carol Zaleski succeeds in writing a very scholarly, fair-minded book, and avoids the trap of attempting to envangelize the reader. Either you believe people have out-of-body experiences, or you don't and Zaleski doesn't attempt to convert you. What she does do (and this is what makes "Otherworld Journeys" so fascinating) is examine the influence of culture and religion on near-death experiences. A twentieth-century American will not report the same near-death experience as, say, a thirteenth-century Italian. Why that is true is for the reader to decide, in light of the evidence presented by this interesting and well-researched account.

I felt "Otherworld Journeys" was a definite keeper and well worth re-reading.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Scholary and dense but very informative, June 4, 2004

By 

"imdateless" (Somewhere in the USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times (Paperback)

Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experiences in Medieval and Modern Times by Carol G. Zaleski, is a scholarly look at "near death experiences" from the middle ages to the current times. It is a tad bit dated, but is still a wonderful jumping off point into this exciting area of study. She does her research very well, and presents a very thorough survey from both literature sources as well as first hand accounts, summarizing the major similarities between the time periods as well as their distinct differences. At the end she recounts some of the numerous theories out there surrounding NDE research, and gives her summation of the work she has completed. This book has a very scholarly tone to it, a very interesting read, but could be hard for some people to truly appreciate.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work, if by now somewhat dated, September 7, 1999

By 

Timothy Conway "Ph.D." (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times (Paperback)

Carol Zaleski's book is clearly one of the best books on NDEs, still quite relevant even though a bit dated. This is interesting reading not only for her balanced presentation of the pro and con viewpoints of leading researchers on NDEs, but also for her contrasting NDEs of the latter 20th century with NDEs experienced by Christians of medieval times.