Customer Reviews

Trickster Makes This World

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While this may be the same book with a different cover--and the confusion is unfortunate--it's also a great book inside any cover. Lewis Hyde brings a unique sensibility to the study of stories, tricksters, and what makes creative imagination possible. This book is rare within the literature on "narrative" because Hyde actually tells stories. His version of the trickster is rich in multiple possibilities: tricksters are destructive, but destruction is part of creativity--that's as close to Hyde's thesis as I can get. The book takes many detours, but I'm grateful that it's not a page shorter.

While this book does a great job comparing simlarities between trickster myths worldwide it is a bit problematic to someone who is actually familar with trickster Gods because the writer makes a few errors. I say this as someone who is only halfway through the book:

1. Hyde goes on and on about Native American myths but never mentions Kokopelli.

2. He has a section on trickster goddess and talks a great deal about the Greeks, but Eris never comes up.

3. In the goddess section he explains there are few, and that's because tricksters crossdress then he lists Aunt Nancy as a goddess, HIS name is Mr. Nancy and he is a crossdresser.

So while I am enjoying seeing these myths compared I am a bit irretated that someone like myself can find these errors in passing when he supposedly studied these myths for years. So as long as you are just reading this as a comparitive study it's not a bad read, just don't quote it as fact until you double check.

It's the same book with different cover page.
I wish I had been notified in advance!!!!