A Short History Of Myth
- 2 Aug 2018
- 9781782118909
- £9.99
- 176 pp
- 129×198mm
- 8 Jun 2012
- 9780857865670
- £17.99
- 3 hrs 31 min
- 30 Oct 2008
- 9781847673886
- £0.99
- 176 pp
In a few words
A ‘visionary . . . crisp and lucid exploration of myth-making’ (DAVID MITCHELL) from the bestselling author of A History of God
In a few words
Karen Armstrong’s concise yet compelling investigation into the history of myth, read by Sandra Burr
In a few words
A ‘visionary . . . crisp and lucid exploration of myth-making’ (DAVID MITCHELL) from the bestselling author of A History of God
Elegantly argued and consistently thought-provoking
Witty, informative and contemplative
Remarkable for its compressions, brevity and range, this book gives an account of myth from 20,000 years ago.
What Armstrong does in her skid over the millennia is make comparisons, connections and contrasts in a way that cannot fail to enlighten the general reader... She is expert on significance and practice... Her formulation works very well... What myth once did, novels now do; and her points about The Waste Land and Ulysses are well made. (Both hang on mythical frameworks; both came out in the same year, 1922.) Myths are narratives: as she eloquently says, we shouldn't be done with them yet.
Remarkable for its compressions, brevity and range, this book gives an account of myth from 20,000 years ago.
What Armstrong does in her skid over the millennia is make comparisons, connections and contrasts in a way that cannot fail to enlighten the general reader... She is expert on significance and practice... Her formulation works very well... What myth once did, novels now do; and her points about The Waste Land and Ulysses are well made. (Both hang on mythical frameworks; both came out in the same year, 1922.) Myths are narratives: as she eloquently says, we shouldn't be done with them yet.
More about
the book
As long as we have been human, we have been mythmakers. In A Short History of Myth, Karen Armstrong holds up the mirror of mythology to show us the history of ourselves, and embarks on a journey that begins at a Neanderthal graveside and ends buried in the heart of the modern novel.
Surprising, powerful and profound, A Short History of Myth examines the world’s most ancient art form – the making and telling of stories – and why we still need it.
The Myths series brings together some of the world’s finest writers, each of whom has retold a myth in a contemporary and memorable way. Authors in the series include Karen Armstrong, Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, David Grossman, Natsuo Kirino, Alexander McCall Smith, Philip Pullman, Ali Smith and Jeanette Winterson.
More about
the book
‘We are meaning-seeking creatures. Dogs, as far as we know, do not agonise about the canine condition, worry about the plight of dogs in other parts of the world, or try to see their lives from a different perspective. But human beings fall easily into despair, and from the very beginning we invented stories that enabled us to place our lives in a larger setting, that revealed an underlying pattern, and gave us a sense that, against all the depressing and chaotic evidence to the contrary, life had meaning and value.’
Karen Armstrong’s concise yet compelling investigation into the history of myth takes us from the Palaeolithic period and the mythology of the hunters right up to the ‘Great Western Transformation’ of the last 500 years.
She shows us that the history of myth is the history of humanity, and our stories and beliefs, our curiosity and attempts to understand the world, link us to our ancestors and each other. Myths help us make sense of the universe, and of ourselves. Armstrong’s characteristically insightful and eloquent book serves as a brilliant and thought-provoking introduction to myth in the broadest sense – and why we dismiss it only at our peril.
More about
the book
As long as we have been human, we have been mythmakers. In A Short History of Myth, Karen Armstrong holds up the mirror of mythology to show us the history of ourselves, and embarks on a journey that begins at a Neanderthal graveside and ends buried in the heart of the modern novel.
Surprising, powerful and profound, A Short History of Myth examines the world’s most ancient art form – the making and telling of stories – and why we still need it.
Remarkable
What Armstrong does in her skid over the millennia is make comparisons, connections and contrasts in a way that cannot fail to enlighten the general reader . . . Myths are narratives: as she eloquently says, we shouldn't be done with them yet
Nicholas Lezard
GuardianValiant and readable . . . clearly and concisely written
With characteristic incisiveness, Armstrong explores the development of myth from prehistory to the present day
Her elegantly argued and consistently thought-provoking essay is to men and women to imitate the powerful beings and experience divinity themselves.
Armstrong has provided a valiant and readable account, clearly and concisely written.
Her elegantly argued and consistently thought-provoking essay is to men and women to imitate the powerful beings and experience divinity themselves.
Armstrong has provided a valiant and readable account, clearly and concisely written.
Karen Armstrong
View profileKaren Armstrong is one of the world’s leading commentators on religious affairs, and has been described by the Financial Times as ‘one of our best living writers on religion’. She spent seven years as a Roman Catholic nun in the 1960s, before leaving for a career as a writer and broadcaster. Armstrong is the best-selling author of over 20 books and a passionate campaigner for religious liberty, and has addressed members of the United States Congress and the Senate and has participated in the World Economic Forum.
Karen Armstrong
View profileKaren Armstrong’s first book, the best-selling Through the Narrow Gate (1981), described her seven years as a nun in a Roman Catholic order. She has published numerous books, including A History of God, and In the Beginning: A New Reading of Genesis. Her more recent works include Islam: A Short History and Buddha, which was an international bestseller. Since 1982 she has been a freelance writer and broadcaster. She lives in London.
Karen Armstrong
View profileKaren Armstrong is one of the world’s leading commentators on religious affairs, and has been described by the Financial Times as ‘one of our best living writers on religion’. She spent seven years as a Roman Catholic nun in the 1960s, before leaving for a career as a writer and broadcaster. Armstrong is the best-selling author of over 20 books and a passionate campaigner for religious liberty, and has addressed members of the United States Congress and the Senate and has participated in the World Economic Forum.
