Myth and Reality (Religious Traditions of the World) (Paperback)

by Mircea Eliade (Author) "FOR THE past fifty years at least, Western scholars have approached the study of myth from a viewpoint markedly different from, let us say, that..." (more)
Key Phrases: New Year, New York, Supreme Being (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
An informative guide to the modern mythologies! This classic study, translated from the original French, deals primarily with societies around the world in which myth is--or was until very recently-- "living," in the sense that it supplies models for human behavior and, by that very fact, gives meaning and value to life. The author believes that understanding the structure and function of myths in these traditional societies serves to clarify a stage in the history of human thought: "myths reveal that the World, man, and life have a supernatural origin and history, and that this history is significant, precious, and exemplary."

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Waveland Press (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577660099
• ISBN-13: 978-1577660095
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #192,306 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important book for today, June 24, 2008

By	Chris Travers "Einhverfr" (Chelan, WA) - See all my reviews

This book by Eliade looks at the function of myth as expressed through ritual, ceremony, and social rules. He argues that the myths provide templates for religious rituals, initiation ceremonies, magical charms, and social rules. In this way, all myths are myths of origin. Eliade also explores the survivals of mythic thinking in today's world.

Eliade explores a number of topics in the book including cosmogony, eschatology, mythic ideas relating to memory and forgetfulness, and more. In general he puts together a compelling view of universal trends in the function of myth.

My only real complaint with the topic is that the book seems slightly dated to me-- there have been great developments in our understanding of the mindset of oral cultures since the book was originally written in French. These developments clarify a lot of the points that Eliade seems to grasp at. Hence while I think this book is well worth reading, I would highly recommend reading "Orality and Literacy" by Walter Ong first.

All in all, this book will give you a different perspective on mythology and religion than you are likely to get elsewhere. I would recommend it for anyone seeking to understand these subjects and make sense out of life.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Grab Your Pillow, June 27, 2007

By	J. Grammer (Sierra Vista, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was poorly translated from French and it showed in the text. There are many grammatical errors and the information lacks any logical path, there is no main point in the book. I was greatly disappointed with this text. I do not recommend this book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Myth and Reality, March 16, 2006

By	J. Passon - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Myth and Realty is interesting to read in companion with Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces. The role of "myth" in our contemporary societies is not understood, let alone appreciated. Mircea develops ideas that anyone intrigued by the place of myth in modern culture should be looking to find.