Myth: Its Meaning & Functions In Ancient & Other Cultures
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
What is a myth, and why have human civilisations across every age and continent felt compelled to create them? G.S. Kirk's landmark scholarly work Myth: Its Meaning & Functions in Ancient & Other Cultures confronts these questions with rigorous intellectual force, arguing that myths are far more than primitive superstitions — they are complex, structurally rich narratives that reveal the deepest anxieties, aspirations, and cosmological frameworks of their societies. Kirk systematically examines mythological traditions from ancient Greece and Mesopotamia to indigenous and non-Western cultures, challenging and interrogating the reductive theories of Lévi-Strauss, Frazer, and other structuralists and functionalists who had previously dominated the field. Kirk's scholarship is precise and authoritative, grounded in classical philology yet expansive enough to draw on anthropology and comparative religion, making this an indispensable text in the study of human narrative and belief. His writing strikes a balance between academic rigour and genuine intellectual curiosity, drawing the reader into a world where stories are not mere entertainment but the very architecture of culture. A foundational text for students and scholars of mythology, anthropology, and classical studies, this work leaves one wondering: if myth is the mirror of a civilisation's soul, what do our modern myths say about us?
Author: G.S. Kirk
Format: Paperback
Genre: Myths & legends
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
What is a myth, and why have human civilisations across every age and continent felt compelled to create them? G.S. Kirk's landmark scholarly work Myth: Its Meaning & Functions in Ancient & Other Cultures confronts these questions with rigorous intellectual force, arguing that myths are far more than primitive superstitions — they are complex, structurally rich narratives that reveal the deepest anxieties, aspirations, and cosmological frameworks of their societies. Kirk systematically examines mythological traditions from ancient Greece and Mesopotamia to indigenous and non-Western cultures, challenging and interrogating the reductive theories of Lévi-Strauss, Frazer, and other structuralists and functionalists who had previously dominated the field. Kirk's scholarship is precise and authoritative, grounded in classical philology yet expansive enough to draw on anthropology and comparative religion, making this an indispensable text in the study of human narrative and belief. His writing strikes a balance between academic rigour and genuine intellectual curiosity, drawing the reader into a world where stories are not mere entertainment but the very architecture of culture. A foundational text for students and scholars of mythology, anthropology, and classical studies, this work leaves one wondering: if myth is the mirror of a civilisation's soul, what do our modern myths say about us?