Myth, Meaning, and Experience (270 books)

Some see reality as a subjective experience which lacks any obvious meaning. This demands that we become the creators of own universe. This is a journey through their ideas and stories, in hopes of finding personal empowerment and meaningful living--be it through empirical, rational, or transcendental means.

This list was originated by Erraticus, an online publication focused on human flourishing.

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201	The Trauma of Birth by Otto Rank 3.87 avg rating — 242 ratings score: 62, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
201	American Indian Myths and Legends by Richard Erdoes (Editor) 4.08 avg rating — 5,387 ratings score: 62, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
203	Peasant Customs and Savage Myths: Selections from the British Folklorists. TWO VOLUMES by Richard M. Dorson (Editor) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings score: 61, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
204	In Quest of the Hero by Otto Rank (Contributor) 3.72 avg rating — 90 ratings score: 60, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
204	The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland 4.17 avg rating — 7,500 ratings score: 60, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
206	75 Years Of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking by Paul Levitz (Editor) 4.61 avg rating — 231 ratings score: 59, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
207	Black Soundscapes White Stages: The Meaning of Francophone Sound in the Black Atlantic (The Callaloo African Diaspora Series) by Edwin C. Hill 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings score: 58, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
208	Experience on Demand: What Virtual Reality Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do by Jeremy Bailenson 3.91 avg rating — 390 ratings score: 57, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
209	Even This I Get to Experience by Norman Lear 3.91 avg rating — 1,518 ratings score: 56, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
210	Vodou in the Haitian Experience: A Black Atlantic Perspective by Celucien L. Joseph (Goodreads Author) (Editor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings score: 55, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
211	The Schopenhauer Cure by Irvin D. Yalom 4.28 avg rating — 30,258 ratings score: 54, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
211	Art as Experience by John Dewey 3.94 avg rating — 5,782 ratings score: 54, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
213	Blake: Prophet Against Empire by David V. Erdman 4.19 avg rating — 58 ratings score: 52, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
214	The Complete Illuminated Books by William Blake 4.38 avg rating — 3,244 ratings score: 51, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
215	Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell 4.11 avg rating — 270 ratings score: 50, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
216	Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre 3.99 avg rating — 34,524 ratings score: 49, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
216	Poetry and Designs: Authoritative Texts, Illuminations in Color and Monochrome, Related Prose, Criticism by William Blake 4.28 avg rating — 2,067 ratings score: 49, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
218	Blake's Job by S. Foster Damon 4.23 avg rating — 13 ratings score: 48, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
219	The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.21 avg rating — 211,283 ratings score: 47, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
219	William Blake and the Age of Aquarius by Stephen F. Eisenman really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 8 ratings score: 47, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
221	The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky 3.91 avg rating — 115,376 ratings score: 46, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
221	William Blake: Essays For S. Foster Damon by William Blake & Alvin H. Rosenfeld [ed.] (Editor) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 46, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
223	Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.30 avg rating — 60,908 ratings score: 45, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
223	Meaning of Folklore: The Analytical Essays of Alan Dundes by Alan Dundes 4.16 avg rating — 37 ratings score: 45, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
225	Beanworld, Vol. 1: Wahoolazuma! by Larry Marder 4.28 avg rating — 245 ratings score: 44, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
226	Murphy by Samuel Beckett 3.81 avg rating — 6,377 ratings score: 43, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
226	Cerebus (Cerebus, #1) by Dave Sim 3.72 avg rating — 3,246 ratings score: 43, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
228	Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett 3.85 avg rating — 5,693 ratings score: 42, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
228	High Society (Cerebus #2) by Dave Sim 4.19 avg rating — 1,857 ratings score: 42, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
230	Jung on Mythology by C.G. Jung 4.27 avg rating — 125 ratings score: 41, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
230	Thoreau's Living Ethics: Walden and the Pursuit of Virtue by Philip Cafaro really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 25 ratings score: 41, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
232	Walden by Henry David Thoreau 3.77 avg rating — 202,180 ratings score: 40, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
233	American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau by Bill McKibben (Editor) 4.23 avg rating — 612 ratings score: 39, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
234	Walking by Henry David Thoreau 3.74 avg rating — 10,820 ratings score: 38, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
235	Deep Enough for Ivorybills (Brown Thrasher Books) by James Kilgo 4.30 avg rating — 70 ratings score: 37, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
236	Mythic Worlds, Modern Words: Joseph Campbell on the Art of James Joyce by Joseph Campbell 4.27 avg rating — 191 ratings score: 36, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
237	The Myth of Southern Exceptionalism by Matthew D. Lassiter (Editor) 3.80 avg rating — 35 ratings score: 35, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
238	The Gesualdo Hex: Music, Myth, and Memory by Glenn Watkins 3.74 avg rating — 47 ratings score: 34, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
239	American Indian Mythology by Alice Marriott 3.84 avg rating — 80 ratings score: 33, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
240	Margaret Mead and the Heretic: The Making and Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth by Derek Freeman 3.32 avg rating — 75 ratings score: 32, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
241	The Golden Age of Piracy: The Truth Behind Pirate Myths by Benerson Little 3.38 avg rating — 361 ratings score: 31, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
242	Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History by Richard Shenkman 3.54 avg rating — 645 ratings score: 30, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
243	Yellow Journalism: Puncturing the Myths, Defining the Legacies by W. Joseph Campbell really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings score: 29, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
244	Getting It Wrong: Debunking the Greatest Myths in American Journalism by W. Joseph Campbell 3.58 avg rating — 110 ratings score: 28, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
245	“All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz 4.11 avg rating — 1,946 ratings score: 27, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
246	Souvenirs of the Old South: Northern Tourism and Southern Mythology by Rebecca Cawood McIntyre really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings score: 26, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
247	The Beach Boys and the California Myth by David Leaf 4.21 avg rating — 56 ratings score: 25, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
248	Billie Holiday: The Musician and the Myth by John F. Szwed 3.49 avg rating — 537 ratings score: 24, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
249	Yoruba Myths by Ulli Beier 4.33 avg rating — 21 ratings score: 23, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
250	The Wild Man: Medieval Myth and Symbolism by Timothy B. Husband 3.88 avg rating — 8 ratings score: 22, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
251	The Griffin and the Dinosaur: How Adrienne Mayor Discovered a Fascinating Link Between Myth and Science by Marc Aronson (Goodreads Author) 4.02 avg rating — 229 ratings score: 21, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
252	John Brown in Memory and Myth by Michael Daigh (Goodreads Author) 4.71 avg rating — 7 ratings score: 20, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
253	The Search for the Giant Squid: The Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature by Richard Ellis 3.70 avg rating — 622 ratings score: 19, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
254	A Dreadful Deceit: The Myth of Race from the Colonial Era to Obama's America by Jacqueline A. Jones 3.63 avg rating — 84 ratings score: 18, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
255	The Time Falling Bodies Take To Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture by William Irwin Thompson 4.34 avg rating — 174 ratings score: 17, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
256	Western Rivermen, 1763–1861: Ohio and Mississippi Boatmen and the Myth of the Alligator Horse by Michael Allen really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings score: 16, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
257	The First Casualty: The War Correspondent as Hero & Myth-maker from the Crimea to Iraq by Phillip Knightley 4.12 avg rating — 289 ratings score: 15, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
258	Man's Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race by Ashley Montagu 4.26 avg rating — 54 ratings score: 14, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
259	The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich 4.02 avg rating — 616 ratings score: 13, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
260	Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal by Margaret Visser 3.88 avg rating — 849 ratings score: 12, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
261	Song of the Vikings by Nancy Marie Brown (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 512 ratings score: 11, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
262	Myths and Tales of the Jicarilla Apache Indians by Morris Edward Opler 4.22 avg rating — 18 ratings score: 10, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
263	Five Myths About Nuclear Weapons by Ward Wilson 3.68 avg rating — 130 ratings score: 9, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
264	Myth and Meaning: Cracking the Code of Culture by Claude Lévi-Strauss 3.76 avg rating — 2,517 ratings score: 8, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
265	Ancient Near Eastern Mythology by Shalom L. Goldman 3.45 avg rating — 47 ratings score: 7, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
266	The Myth of the Eternal Return or, Cosmos and History by Mircea Eliade 4.22 avg rating — 3,306 ratings score: 6, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
267	Virgin Land: The American West as Symbol and Myth by Henry Nash Smith 3.72 avg rating — 303 ratings score: 5, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
268	A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong 3.69 avg rating — 6,406 ratings score: 4, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
269	Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle: Myth and Metaphor in the Discovery of Geological Time by Stephen Jay Gould 3.90 avg rating — 461 ratings score: 3, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
270	Flash of the Spirit: African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy by Robert Farris Thompson 4.27 avg rating — 383 ratings score: 2, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars