The Truth of Myth

The Truth of Myth
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages : 225
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780190222789
ISBN-13 : 0190222786
Rating : 4/5 (89 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Truth of Myth by : Tok Thompson

Download or read book The Truth of Myth written by Tok Thompson and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "To the student of myth: This book attempts to provide a concise overview of the theoretical approaches to studying mythology, both in theory and in everyday life. Whether one is interested in a particular myth or mythic tradition, or understanding comparative mythology more broadly, or even the subject and overview of mythology as a whole, this text attempts to present a clear and understandable introduction to some of the best tried and true approaches, as well as to address some of the perennial problems and points of confusion. To embark on the study of myth is to join a noisy chorus of scholars, both present and past, in attempting to divine the meaning of some of the most important, intriguing, and at times puzzling narratives that humankind has ever crafted. We hope this text will help provide you with the theoretical background and tools to allow for a rich, full study of mythology in all its myriad forms. To the teacher of myth: Myth has been the source of a great deal of theoretical disagreement and confusion as well. We have tried to address some of the controversies by appealing to a close and careful consideration of the data, which at times helps keep lofty theorizing firmly anchored in the real world. Additionally, we have tried to present a historical background to the study of myth, which should also help illuminate the close relationships between a society, and that society's views of myth. Mythology does not occur without people: it is only with a strong grounding in the study of humankind that we can hope to make progress in our understanding. Where doubt within the scholarly community has arisen, we have tried to pay attention to both sides of the debates. The resulting text is intended to be a detailed, yet engaging, introduction to the study of world mythology, and a scholarly counterweight to popular, unscientific views. Our experience in teaching myth is that the most vexing issues stem from the several strained if not contradictory connotations that the term myth carries. Is myth archaic, or is it part of all societies and thus modern as well? Is it part of religion and/or science, or does it contrast with these? Most vexingly, does myth designate falsehood, or the highest forms of truth-those that form the core, guiding principles of particular societies' engagements of the cosmos and life within it? There is also the double signification of the term mythology, which points to both an academic tradition and the object studied by that tradition. Our view is that while such antinomies are unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future, much can be gained by locating and identifying them and by attempting to understand how and why they have emerged. We hope that this approach not only lends clarity to the topic of myth, but also serves to energize the study to which we now turn"--


The Truth of Myth Related Books

The Truth of Myth
Language: en
Pages: 225
Authors: Tok Thompson
Categories: Manners and customs
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020 - Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"To the student of myth: This book attempts to provide a concise overview of the theoretical approaches to studying mythology, both in theory and in everyday li
The Truth of Myth
Language: en
Pages: 225
Authors: Tok Thompson
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-02-03 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Truth of Myth is a thorough and accessible introduction to the study of myth, surveying the intellectual history of the topic, methods for studying myth cro
The Truth of Myth
Language: en
Pages:
Authors: Tok Thompson
Categories: Manners and customs
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020 - Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"To the student of myth: This book attempts to provide a concise overview of the theoretical approaches to studying mythology, both in theory and in everyday li
The Truth of Myth
Language: en
Pages: 176
Authors: Tok Thompson
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-02-03 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Truth of Myth is a thorough and accessible introduction to the study of myth, surveying the intellectual history of the topic, methods for studying myth cro
The World of Myth
Language: en
Pages: 607
Authors: David Adams Leeming
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 1991-01-24 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Hercules, Zeus, Thor, Gilgamesh--these are the figures that leap to mind when we think of myth. But to David Leeming, myths are more than stories of deities and