Get Ready for Winter Weather The Rosie Effect The Rosie Effect The Rosie Effect The Rosie Effect Shop Men's Running Shoes Shop Men's Running Shoes Shop Men's Cloud Drive Photos nav_sap_plcc_6M_fly_beacon $5 Albums Amazon Fire Phone, now available unlocked Amazon Fire TV New Year in Beauty HA Digital Week Digital Week Digital Week Fire tablets Year-End Kindle Daily Deals Video Games Accessories Week Shop Yoga Shop Athletic Clothing Shop Exercise & Fitness Toys & Games Deals
The Cry for Myth and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
Qty:1
  • List Price: $19.95
  • Save: $2.66 (13%)
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: Book may have moderate creases and wear from reading. Item qualifies for ** FREE ** shipping and Amazon Prime programs!
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
See all 2 images

The Cry for Myth Paperback – May 1, 1991


See all 8 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions
Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle
"Please retry"
Paperback
"Please retry"
$17.29
$13.56 $2.67
Best%20Books%20of%202014


Frequently Bought Together

The Cry for Myth + Love & Will + The Discovery of Being: Writings in Existential Psychology
Price for all three: $41.17

Buy the selected items together
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Hero Quick Promo
Year-End Kindle Daily Deals
Load your library with great books for $2.99 or less each, today only. Learn more

Product Details

  • Paperback: 324 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (May 1, 1991)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393331776
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393331776
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  •  Would you like to update product info, give feedback on images, or tell us about a lower price?


Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Since his introduction of modern philosophy to American psychiatric practice in the United States ( Existence , 1958), May has provided readers with accessible texts on many psychological issues (including Freedom and Destiny, LJ 10/1/81). In his newest book he directs our attention to the psychology of our culture by providing a distinctly American portrait of the place--and displacements--of myth in our society. As is customary for this author, the text weaves case studies and considerable literary exegesis into his cogent analyses. May demonstrates his thesis--that "Each myth in human history is interpreted according to the needs of the society which it reflects"--and keeps good his promise to provide an American audience currently interested in the mythic realms of other cultures (witness the popularity of Joseph Campbell's works) with insight on our own mythology. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
- Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Rollo May (1909-1994) was an influential existential psychologist and the author of Love and Will, The Courage to Create, and The Discovery of Being.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
5 star
11
4 star
0
3 star
1
2 star
0
1 star
0
See all 12 customer reviews
I first read this book when it originally was published more than twenty years ago.
J. P. Reynolds
May examines the importance of mythology thru the ages, as well as its nexus with psychology and psychological theories.
D. Roberts
Great book to help understand the driving forces that motivate us and why we do what we do.
doc

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful By dr. on July 17, 1998
Format: Paperback
The Cry for Myth was May's last major work prior to his death at the age of eighty-four. It contains the hard-won wisdom of a lifetime. Much of it had been published elsewhere over the years--long before Joseph Campbell's sudden popularity-- but May felt strongly about making a cohesive statement regarding the vital importance of myth and how much we need it today. Myths are how we make meaning of life--no myth, no meaning. May's therapeutic approach to myths links him closely with figures such as Sigmund Freud, Otto Rank, and Carl Jung, and comprises an essential and enriching feature of May's own existential psychotherapy. In this fine collection, May analyzes the archetypal myths we are living out--or maybe better, that are being lived out through us--and offers some new myths and interpretations that may help us make it more meaningfully into the new millennium.
1 Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful By Jeannette on June 21, 2007
Format: Paperback
I read this book several years ago and I found it to be a fascinating read, from back to front. May's astute analysis of the place of myth within human life, sense of self and community is very sensible and relevant. Many may find his understanding of myth to be surprising, as it deviates greatly from the conventional existential perspective.

From time immemorial, cultures have woven intricate, fantastic stories, parables, myths and guiding narratives about the world, helping them to understand the universe, carve out a unique place within it and establish values. As societies grew, cultures passed these myths and stories down to their descendants. Communal traditions developed from these myths and guiding narratives, building among participants a sense of cultural kinship, identity and solace. People derived strength and direction from their guiding narratives, and these myths unified individuals in a commonality, supplying them with a vision.

Carl Jung's influence here is distinct, as May attributes the sense of meaninglessness, isolation and disoriented alienation of modern culture largely to the human "cry" for new myths (similar to Jung's Weltanschauung) that incorporate all facets of our humanity (both spirit and matter) and address our current reality.

May defines the myth as follows: "A myth is a way of making sense in a senseless world. Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence [...] myths are our way of finding meaning and significance. Myths are like the beams in a house; not exposed to outside view, they are the structure which holds the house together so people can live in it.
Read more ›
3 Comments Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful By D. Roberts VINE VOICE on November 30, 2001
Format: Hardcover
Rollo May was a psychologist, but don't let that bit of information scare you away from reading this book. May examines the importance of mythology thru the ages, as well as its nexus with psychology and psychological theories. In doing so, May points out the didactic properties that myths have had throughout human history.
Along the way, May takes a critical look at fairy tales and discloses hidden "messages" that we normally pick up on only subliminally. His inquiry helps to elucidate many of the themes that we teach to our children, and hints at why fairy tales have such an abundant popularity in diverse cultures.
May also describes to us how myths evolve and develop over time, changing with the sociological paradigms of each successive epoch. In doing so, he uses the Faust legend as an example. The text offers some nice highlights on the transcendence of the motif as it was first penned by Christopher Marlowe and subsequently revised by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Thomas Mann.
This is an excellent read for anyone who is interested in mythology, and is a serious warning of the consequences that go along with marginalizing the importance of liberal arts.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful By doc on April 17, 2013
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Great book to help understand the driving forces that motivate us and why we do what we do. It provides some insight as to why our society has sustained the moral decline we have observed in recent years and what we as an individual can do to avoid that trap as society, like the lemmings, move rapidly and mindlessly toward the cliff. .
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful By A Customer on April 1, 1999
Format: Paperback
Rollo May's "The Cry for Myth" is a testimony on American mythology. A fantastic novel, it encompasses a variety of issues by relating them to classic pieces of literature, such as "The Great Gatsby" and "Dante's Inferno". The book was a pleasure to read (and I don't even like to read). It opened my mind to think in different ways.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful By Landon Shultz on July 20, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Myths are stories which present images and ideas that help us to understand and make meaning of our lives. Rollo May does an excellent job of describing how myth functions in our society, providing several well thought out and clearly presented illustrations. Reading this book gave me a perspective which I had not possessed previously.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?