Other Peoples' Myths: The Cave of Echoes

by Wendy Doniger

Other People's Myths celebrates the universal art of storytelling, and the rich diversity of stories that people live by. Drawing on Biblical parables, Greek myths, Hindu epics, and the modern mythologies of Woody Allen and soap operas, Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty encourages us to feel anew the force of myth and tradition in our lives, and in the lives of other cultures. She shows how the stories of mythology—whether of Greek gods, Chinese sages, or Polish rabbis—enable all cultures to define themselves. She raises critical questions about the way we interpret mythical stories, especially the way different cultures make use of central texts and traditions. And she offers a sophisticated way of looking at the roles myths play in all cultures.

Genres: Mythology, Religion, Nonfiction, History, Theory

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in 1988 when I was engulfed in books about narrative--narrative, narrative as inquiry, storytelling, mythology--as crucial to the development of people and their cultures. She writes about Greek myths, Hindu myths, novels, oral history, everything, across the globe. She's an Indologist, a scholar in Sanskrit and many other things, a highly respected scholar.

[Lance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally, I found this book fairly sloppy in the ways Doniger attempts to develop some sort of theory about myth without staking a claim or stepping on toes . . . though there are truly some gems. I particularly like how she applies archetypal knowledge to myths, using a more pluralized methodology. Doniger's call to her general audience to reinvigorate our own myths with the myths of others is admirable, but potentially problematic without a more critical examination. Appropriating other people's myths can be a colonial enterprise.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t realize this was an academic book when I purchased this, but I am grateful that it is. This book anticipates work like Lewis Hyde’s Trickster Makes This World, wherein myth serves a gateway into a deeper understanding into the way specific human cultures function. What I feel readers of this work can easily miss though is that there is a vein of postcolonial thought that implicitly works its way into O’Flaherty’s volume. It’s possible that postcolonial scholars interested in mythology may find this work more useful to them than layreaders interested in this subject matter.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

By no means an easy book and one that probably won't have a wide appeal.

It was written in the 1980s and its age is evident in many ways, most obviously in the influence of Claude Lévi-Strauss and the myth as ritual school, but also in the easy identification of "we" (the book's presumed audience) as educated Americans with a Christian or Jewish background. (Indeed the author explicitly excludes even Europeans from this group.)

Prof Doniger is in fact much more concerned with belief and religion than mythology. She wants to show that "other peoples' myths" can have a positive, reviving impact on the society that she sees drifting away from religion. In some ways, it is refreshing to see cross-cultural contact celebrated, in an age when it is often regarded with suspicion, but it's also a remarkably unrealistic prospect.

Her goal leads her to focus on (largely Indian) myths that link to ritual. Her analysis is profound but relevant only to these very specific myths. Contrary to what she seems to think (though inconsistently), mythology is only sometimes connected with religion or ritual. (It takes only a moment to think of myths, such as the Trojan War, that have no religious meaning at all.)

Probably a worthwhile read for those who want to get deeply into these connections (maybe fans of René Girard, another influence), but not so much for those with a wider interest in myths as stories.

[Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meaningful exploration of cultural relativism and the function of myth. Originally published 1988. I wrote a bit more about this book on Medium.

[Roger Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a general, common-sense defense for continued cross-cultural study of myth. It would be likely useful for an undergraduate classroom.

[Marge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I didn't understand all of O'Flaherty's argument (mainly because I have no background in Hinduism), I did enjoy the book, especially the sections on ways in which the rituals and myths of others illuminate one's own.

[NickNick Prasansaph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book encourage us to learn about ourselvrs through the stories of other people. You can enjoy the book no matter what area of study you are in.

[Claudia Putnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be a required starting point for anyone interested in comparative mythology.