book data
257 ratings, 3.86 average rating, 65 reviews
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published
October 21st 2005
by Brilliance Audio
binding
Audio CD
isbn
1423307690
(isbn13: 9781423307693)
description
What are myths? How have they evolved? And why do we still so desperately need them?
The history of myth is the history of humanity; our stories and be...more
The history of myth is the history of humanity; our stories and be...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 447)
Karen Armstrong provides A Short History of Myth, an introductory volume to Canongate's Myths series. Her essay here is serviceable. She relies heavily on the usual suspects -- Mircea Eliade, Joseph Campbell, Walter Burkert -- and has a lamentable tendency to make sweeping pronouncements that sound trite: "In the pre-modern world, mythology was indispensable. . . . It was an early form of psychology." "People were becoming disillusioned with the old mythical vision that had nouri...more
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There are some who are best at showing, and some that are best at telling. Karen Armstrong is best at telling. I really appreciate her lucid, straightforward narrative here, in such a huge, swimming subject. She rarely ever oversimplifies. It's like a little guidebook to western culture, and it often got me thinking about similarities between the role of myth and the role of art; I was a little surprised to see them converge so smartly at the end. The ending is more determined than I'd like it t...more
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In and out of this one. Mostly out at the moment, but can't leave it down for long.
Its consice, and so perhaps not for everyone, but I'm finding it a cool 'Cliff Notes' type reference and springboard for other reading or research.
Listened to the audio book format (up to the end of the neolithic age) with my boys in the car. This book would make a great film. Needs some beautiful illustrations to compliment the info. I'd love to edit this into a coffee table book. ; )
Its consice, and so perhaps not for everyone, but I'm finding it a cool 'Cliff Notes' type reference and springboard for other reading or research.
Listened to the audio book format (up to the end of the neolithic age) with my boys in the car. This book would make a great film. Needs some beautiful illustrations to compliment the info. I'd love to edit this into a coffee table book. ; )
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a decent analysis of the role of myth, and origin of myths, from the paleolithic to modern times. she is at pains to show has a role other than elucidation of facts (which itself seems dubious)
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Read in November, 2008
I read this book in very small pieces which made it seem somewhat disjointed. I should have read it more in just one or two sittings to get the flow of what Armstrong was writing about. For the last chapter, I did read it that way and it really sunk in a lot more. In some ways it reminded me of Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth which explores why we need myths in our lives. Armstrong discusses literature in the last section (probably because this is part of a series of retellings of myths) a...more
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Read in May, 2008
Karen Armstrong is well-known for her reader-friendly biographies of major religious figures, such as Buddha and Mohammad, as well as her descriptions of major trends in religious faiths, such as Islam and Christianity. Here she brings us the introductory book in a series published by Canongate on myths (some prominent writers are producing reinterpretations of notable myths). Armstrong provides a general review of the history of myths from the Paleolithic period to modern times. Her approach is...more
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From Publishers Weekly
This is an pedestrian study from the noted and popular religion scholar, in which Armstrong takes a historical approach to myth, tracing its evolution through a series of periods, from the Paleolithic to the postmyth Great Western Transformation. Each period developed myths reflecting its major concerns: images of hunting and the huntress dominated the myths of the Paleolithic, while the myths of Persephone and Demeter, Isis and Osiris developed in the agricultural Ne...more
This is an pedestrian study from the noted and popular religion scholar, in which Armstrong takes a historical approach to myth, tracing its evolution through a series of periods, from the Paleolithic to the postmyth Great Western Transformation. Each period developed myths reflecting its major concerns: images of hunting and the huntress dominated the myths of the Paleolithic, while the myths of Persephone and Demeter, Isis and Osiris developed in the agricultural Ne...more
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Read in February, 2007
A Short History of Myth is the perfect read for anyone fascinated by ancient mythology, archetypes and comparative religion, but intimidated by the plethora of books on the subjects. Armstrong condenses the evolution of mythology and religion into six chapters describing humanity’s conception of divinity from 20,000 BC to 2000 CE. As human society progressed through hunting, agricultural and urban stages, its mythology developed symbiotically to help humans deal with the unique problems acco...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone who plans to read the Canongate Myth series
This little book (about 160 pgs worth) is a part of an ambitious and fascinating project, the Canongate Myth series. Armstrong's contribution, A Short History of Myth, is the series opener. I think its a good introduction for anyone who is interested in mythology and who perhaps plans to read on in the series.
Being passionate about myth, story telling and folklore, I had hoped for something a bit more substantial. However, Karen Armstrong provides a brief but ambitious overview...more
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Read in December, 2008
This clearly-written book takes such a concise, measured, historical approach to myths and to mythmaking, that the passionate explanation of the dangers of a world (like ours) which denies itself the experience of myth and ritual comes as a chilling warning. I found the book to be very powerful and thought-provoking. Its brevity made it possible for me to see the flow-through of Armstrong's argument.
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Read in April, 2007
Armstrong explains the meaning of myth for human beings from prehistoric to modern times. She writes in clear, consise, easily understood English. It is written for the general reading audience and she succeeds in writing a short history of myth in just 149 pages.
Her book is divided into seven brief chapters. The first, she gives us a definition: "Mythology and science extend the scope of human beings. Myth is not just a story but tells us how to behave. All myths help us to dea...more
Her book is divided into seven brief chapters. The first, she gives us a definition: "Mythology and science extend the scope of human beings. Myth is not just a story but tells us how to behave. All myths help us to dea...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Hilary, Hannah, Lauren, Oliver, Amanda, and everyone else I am supposed to be teaching.
A history of myth, if it is to be taken seriously, is also a history of mankind. That being so, this is the shortest and most thematically unified history of mankind you are ever likely to read. Armstrong, whose earlier work, A History of God, was interesting but perhaps a bit wishy-washy, makes an impassioned argument for restoring a mythic view of mans' role in the universe and roundly condemns the poverty of the purely rational, factual approach to life, simply by pointing out the conseque...more
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I like Karen Armstrong's clean and lady-like style of reasoning, her matter-of-fact handling of controversial opinions, and gentle way of dealing with matters of dogma.
She seems to understand why people have held to dogma, but does not need it for herself. I find this approach refreshing.
She seems to understand why people have held to dogma, but does not need it for herself. I find this approach refreshing.
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Read in October, 2008
It is short, almost too short. Just 170 pages, plus large line spacing and margins. Still, Karen Armstrong is the best writer on theology and belief I've encountered, and this incredibly compact book packs a lot in.
Each short chapter is devoted to a historical age, which in Armstrong's paring down comes to just six in human history: paleolithic, neolithic, early civilizations, Axial, Post-Axial and "the Great Western Transformation". She very efficiently lays out a thesis ...more
Each short chapter is devoted to a historical age, which in Armstrong's paring down comes to just six in human history: paleolithic, neolithic, early civilizations, Axial, Post-Axial and "the Great Western Transformation". She very efficiently lays out a thesis ...more
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Read in October, 2007
a good general overview of major mythic themes and developments through history. easy to read and engaging. there are parts, though, where armstrong's thinking seems to be so conceptual that she's taken the people out of the mythology -- which for me is exactly not the point. her generalizations sometimes become too general and her characterizations of early peoples too simplistic. this was really too basic for me, but someone with a more marginal interest in mythology could benefit from this bo...more
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Read in December, 2008
It is a short history of myth, to be sure. There's a good sprinkling of enlightening facts and uncommon perspectives, along with arguments about how humanity needs myth. Not sure that I buy that, but it is all intriguing material.
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Read in June, 2008
Karen Armstrong has these short histories down pat, and always does a good job giving us the facts, adding interesting commentary, and keeping us entertained. She does her usual workmanlike job with A Short History of Myth taking us from the Paleolithic to the Present. She falls a bit short dealing with modern times, but does direct us to popular entertainment as the source of our mythic stories. No news there. This is a good quick review to the dilettante in the field (like me) and a great ...more
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Read in September, 2008
I'm liking this so far, but I'm listening to it as an audio book at work. I tend to have to listen to chapters over and over before they really sink in. Karen Armstrongs prose is expressive and engaging, but trying to write code while listening to it, while probably expanding my brain, is difficult to accomplish. I would like to read this in the traditional manner sometime. Also, as I keep having to go back and re-listen to parts, it's taking a long time to finish, and I keep having to re-check...more
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Read in February, 2006
Read almost in one sitting in an airport. I thought this was a good, short introduction to the concept of mythology, though I'm sure for those who study the subject more closely than I, it's more like cliff notes. This book sets up the Canongate Myths series, a set of books by contemporary writers who take old myths and make them new. I think this should be read first, so that one can see the angle of the series, but it's not necessary. The book does talk about how myths apply today, which I...more
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3 comments
Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
those interested in the philosophy of religion or sociology and spiritual seekrs
Quite nearly gave this book FIVE STARS. For me it was thoroughly engaging in it's discussion of the nature and role of myth in organizing worldviews and sharing underlying truths through allegory and metaphor. I found the overviews of several iterations of related myths with commentary on cross cultural transmission or similarity fascinating. I like Armstrong's style of writing and her openness about the importance of cultural heritage, and compassion. Her worked helped me better understand th...more
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