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Print Price: $13.50

Format:
Paperback
160 pp.
9 b/w illustrations, 111 mm x 174 mm

ISBN-13:
9780198724704

Publication date:
July 2015

Imprint: OUP UK

Myth: A Very Short Introduction

Second Edition

Robert Segal

Series : Very Short Introductions

Where do myths come from? What is their function and what do they mean?

In this Very Short Introduction Robert Segal introduces the array of approaches used to understand the study of myth. These approaches hail from disciplines as varied as anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary criticism, philosophy, science, and religious studies. Including ideas from theorists as varied as Sigmund Freud, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Albert Camus, and Roland Barthes, Segal uses the famous ancient myth of Adonis to analyse their individual approaches and theories.

In this new edition, he not only considers the future study of myth, but also considers the interactions of myth theory with cognitive science, the implications of the myth of Gaia, and the differences between story-telling and myth.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Readership : General readers and students interested in the origins and applications of myth to the arts and sciences, including students of literature, religious studies, philosophy, and history.

Introduction: Theories of myth
1. Myth and science
2. Myth and philosophy
3. Myth and religion
4. Myth and ritual
5. Myth and literature
6. Myth and psychology
7. Myth and structure
8. Myth and politics
Conclusion: bringing myth back to the world
References

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Robert A. Segal was born, raised, and educated in the United States. He received his PhD in religion from Princeton University. He taught in the US for many years at Reed College, Stanford University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Tulane University before relocating to the UK in fall 1994. He taught at Lancaster University, before moving in 2006 to the University of Aberdeen, where he is Sixth Century Chair in Religious Studies. He teaches and writes on theories of myth and on theories of religion. Among the books he has written or edited are Joseph Campbell (1987, 1990) The Gnostic Jung (1992), Jung on Mythology (1998), The Myth and Ritual Theory (1998), Theorizing about Myth (1999), The Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion (2006), and 30-Second Mythology (2012). He is currently editing the Oxford Handbook of Myth Theory.

Egyptian Myth: A Very Short Introduction - Geraldine Pinch
Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction - Helen Morales

Special Features

Looks at the origins of the study of myths, and how they have been applied to the arts and sciences.
Reveals how a variety of theories can be applied to ancient myths, but also to modern mythology.
Explores the function of myths, and their subject matter.
Considers the work of prominent thinkers such as Albert Camus, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Roland Barthes, C. G. Jung, and Sigmund Freud.
Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over seven million copies sold worldwide.

New to this Edition

Considers myth as modern science, including 20th and 21st century attempts to find evidence of astronomical observations, of volcanoes, and of other natural disasters.
Looks at myth as a story, by considering the latest approaches to narrative theory.
Examines myth and its interaction with society, including nationalism and fascism.
Explores the approaches of cognitive science to myth.