Romantic Mythologies

First published in 1967. These essays illustrate the movement of ideas in the literary and artistic history of the later part of the nineteenth century. The subjects dealt with are diverse though interrelated. All the contributors exemplify the changing thought of the period from Romanticism, through Victorianism to Symbolism. This title will be of interest to students of art history and literature.

First published in 1967. These essays illustrate the movement of ideas in the literary and artistic history of the later part of the nineteenth century. The subjects dealt with are diverse though interrelated. All the contributors exemplify the changing thought of the period from Romanticism, through Victorianism to Symbolism. This title will be of interest to students of art history and literature.

Myths of love insightfully examines the underlying psychology of the ancient myths and explains why their universal appeal still influences how we think about sex and relationships today.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s favorite sex therapist, analyzes ancient myth and its relevance to 21st century relationships in her new book “Myths of Love: Echoes of Greek and Roman Mythology in the Modern Romantic Imagination.” From humanity’s earliest beginnings, people have puzzled over the dual nature of love. For the ancient Greeks and Romans, love was sweet, but it was also irrational, cruel, and often deadly. Faced with the terrible paradox of love, classical civilization produced some of the most psychologically insightful myths of all time—stories of classic archetypes such as Narcissus, Helen of Troy, and Venus and Adonis. Dr. Ruth and classical scholar Jerome E. Singerman insightfully examine the underlying psychology of the ancient myths and explain why their universal appeal has shaped the imagination of Western civilization for millennia. “Myths of Love” traces how these myths of endured in literature and art across the centuries and how they still influence how we think about sex and relationships today. Surveying a vast range of Greek and Roman literature from Homer to Ovid, “Myths of Love” retells and reconsiders the full gamut of human sexual experience, from the tenderest expressions of married love to the savage, self-destructive passions of narcissism on jealousy. Bridging high culture and pop culture, “Myths of Love” reveals the secret connections between classic literature and today’s popular novels and films. A stimulating blend of art, science, ancient religion, and the passions and contradictions of the human heart, “Myths of Love” is a smart and sexy revisit to the roots of Western culture’s eternal fascination with love.

The last major work by Marilyn Butler, leading literary critic of the late twentieth century, on imaginative ideas of nationhood.

Collection of ninety-five articles on Roman and European mythologies, reproduced in full with illustrations, from the two-volume Mythologies.

In all cultures and at all times, humans have told stories about where they came from, who they are and how they should live their lives. 'Myths and Mythologies' brings together the key classic and contemporary writings - philosophical, psychological, sociological, semiological and cognitivist - on myth. To the insider, myths contain truth, revelation and a 'history of ourselves'; to the outsider, a culture s myths can be seen as the product of foolish, infantile and wishful thinking. Myths tell us about specific cultures, about human creativity, and how narrative shapes and reflects understanding. The 'Reader' is an invaluable resource for students and scholars interested in the impact of narrative on human culture and the meaning of truth in religious language.