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Reviews (2)

Campbell speaks on the roots of the orient
tezcatlipoca22 Gives an excellent description of this work.I would like to add; Campbell offers insightful antidotes to reinforce concepts addressed in his lecture, his humor is dryly abundant, and he speaks on the core concepts found in this region's religions that is often misinterpreted and underestimated by the western civilized world.This work is for those with or without a strong understanding of the oriental life.

Wonderful Overview of Asian Beliefs
This collection of readings by Joseph Campbell give a wonderful overview of the mythical traditions of the "east" (as opposed to those of the occidental "west). By Campbell's definition, the line (which is pretty blurry) is drawn around the Indus. Hence, this collection focuses on the Indian traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as the creative traditions of the far east. In the first tape "Oriental Mythology", he explores this, showing a tradition where man himself is the great mystery, where there is no tradition of the "originl sin" or of an exile from the divine. These traditions are very different from those of the west (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), so it is very nice that Campbell starts off by explaining the framework for Asian society. Following this is an exploration of the "Mystic Traditions of India", wherein Campbell explores yoga, the caste system and the concept of nirvana, setting a framework for explorations of both Hinduism and Buddhism (both of which grew out of indigenous Indian traditions). The next tapes explore Hinduism and Buddhism respectively. Although I would say that Hinduism is such a broad, contradictory reigion (or rather collection of several different religions all under a common umbrela) that a single tape is a risky adventure at best, this is still a wonderful tape anyway. Especially with the exploration of yogis and left-handed mysticism. The exploration of Buddhism is also wonderful, including a description of the Buddhas life. Listening to these two tapes, it becomes very appearent that Campbell had a deep respect and interest in Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. His final tape wraps everything up with a wonderful exploration of how ideas and beliefs have bled over into Asian culture and lifestyles. He focuses on belief systems as diverse as Taoism, Zen and Hinduism. Ultimately he sums up the mystical experience within Oriental beliefs in general. This is a wonderful collection of tapes and a superb item for anyone interested in mythology, religion or philosophy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Audiobooks    3. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    4. Myth    5. Mythology    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. Religion / General   

Reviews (5)

Classic Tales- Not To Be Skipped
If you read Husain Haddawy Arabian Nights then The Arabian Nights II is a must since it contains stories he omitted from his Arabian Nights Translation. While many may feel his translations are incomplete I still enjoy them. These and many other original Arabic stories give us a glimpse into a long forgotten time constantly diluted by their Disney counterparts.This book includes Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba, Ali Al Din ,et Al. I would not recommend this book as a nightly reader to children as some of the content proves extremely lewd however I found it hard to put down once started and would recommend The Arabian Nights II to anyone seeking a unique and adventurous story.

It's good for research, not reading
How many stories can you have within a story?Can ancient stories be improved upon?In my opinion the answer is yes, and not only with the Arabian nights but with many European tales as well.
Not the real thing
This is a very rum publication. Five years previous to its appearance Husain Haddawy produced as 'The Arabian Nights' a translation of the earliest extant version of the text (thirteenth- or fourteenth-century), which contains only a fraction of the full text known from nineteenth-century editions. In a polemical preface he denounced the full version as a dilution of a great original by the addition of masses of alien and inferior material. It must subsequently have been pointed out to him that a version of the Arabian Nights that omitted the best known stories would disappoint readers; consequently he then produced the present volume, made up largely of the popular tales 'Sindbad the Sailor', 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves', and 'Aladdin and his Lamp' -- even though, as he points out in the preface, the original Arabic texts of 'Ali Baba' and 'Aladdin', if they ever existed, have never been found and we are dependent on an eighteenth-century French 'translation' that is a fine piece of literature but far from authentic. A reader who wants to go beyond Haddawy's first volume would be well advised to go straight to one of the translations of the complete text, which contains much fine material omitted from both Haddawy's volumes. Of these the best known is Richard Burton's and the most readable that of Powys Mathers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Arabic Literature    3. Classics    4. Fiction    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Fiction / Classics   

Reviews (6)

Instead of reading this, spend an afternoon with a real horse!
I'm an avid reader, but never felt compelled to leave a review before now.
Horses and the Mystical Path : the Celtic Way of Expending the Human Soul
Offers a brief but interesting reflection on the spiritual development horses can offer to their human keepers and friends.

Explore the unique relationship between horses and humans
Imagine a politically torn nation in which a rancher must rescue his beloved horses from the threat of approaching war. As he and his family prepare to flee in their trucks, he speaks heart-to-heart with his twenty-five year old stallion, begging the animal to follow the vehicles. The stallion goes to the herd, appears to communicate with its members, and they all seem to understand the dire situation. For three days they run, with little food or water, following the trucks. The trek is arduous, crossing high mountains to reach refuge in another country. They all arrive safely. With his task completed, the ageing stallion modestly accepts praise from the rancher, lies down and dies.
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Subjects:  1. Alternate Spirituality    2. Celts    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. Horse Production    5. Horses    6. Horses - General    7. Mysticism    8. Mythology    9. Pets    10. Religion    11. Religious aspects    12. Spiritual life    13. Spirituality - Celtic    14. Pets / Horses / Care    15. Religion: general   

Reviews (2)

pre-modern orientalist perspective; excellent depth, breadth
To appreciate this book you must take it with a grain of salt (or several).The author is a an old school orientalist, writing in the days when the Chinese Empire still had an emperor and was thoroughly infilitrated by colonial powers (fyi, thats before WWII).To a modern reader Werner seems condescending, but you can tell he has a genuine love for Chinese culture and people even when he is moralizing about the failures of their society at the time.In any event, the depth and breadth of the compilation of myths and tales is excellent, as is the historical context that the author provides.The only flaw is that the order and index is not quite as clear as you might like - several tales are told together in a single chapter, and references to characters in other tales are not always clear due to the numerous names used for some mythological figures.If you can get a version with the original color prints, its a real plus.

China at it's worst
Filled with intellectual babble and snide personal comments of the Chinese culture, this author definitely sheds an angry light on Chinese culture.If you must buy this book head straight to the stories because the firsthalf of this book is more suited for the opinion section of a newspaper andwill leave a bad taste in your mouth. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. China    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. Legends    5. Mythology, Chinese    6. Sociology    7. Tales    8. Folklore    9. Myth & legend told as fiction    10. Social Science / General   

Reviews (3)

A great American story
Scott Nelson's Steel Drivin' Man is a wonderful story about the author's intriguing search for the real man behind the American folk hero John Henry. His search leads him down southern backroads, through forgotten railroad tunnels, and to some of the deeper secrets of American history. This is both a well-written personal narrative and a meticulously researched and engaging history of the man and the songs he inspired. Nelson unravels the mystery of John Henry's life and death, and powerfully explains how the folk song that recounted John Henry's battle with the steam drill came to have such an important place in American folklore (Did any of us NOT learn a version of the John Henry song in school?)Though John Henry's story was sad, his song became an inspiration to workers, folksingers, and schoolchildren alike, and Nelson writes powerfully of the ways that the song brings us together despite the differences that could divide us. He is a beautiful writer and a trained historian and it's clear that he researched this book diligently. This book is about many different things, but anyone interested in a great American story, or railroads, or folk music, or American labor history will love this book.

I really liked this book
I really liked this book. Most Americans will remember the story of John Henry from their youth, but most will also be surprised that he was an actual flesh-and-blood person.The author brings the story to life, and, even though I never imagined I'd read a whole book on this subjct, I found myself carried along.It's a terrific book and I really recommend it.

Shaky "Truth"
"Steel Drivin' Man" ("SDM") presents the following documented facts.Before 1878 there was a white workhouse at the Virginia Penitentiary in Richmond.Beside it was a mass grave containing sand (the soil was not sandy) and nearby ran a railroad.Convict John William Henry was leased in 1868 to work on the construction of the C & O railroad at Lewis Tunnel, Virginia.There is no record that he ever returned to the penitentiary.By 1875 he had disappeared from penitentiary records.There is a stanza of the traditional ballad, "John Henry," in which John Henry is taken to "the white house" and buried "in the sand" near a railroad.
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Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    7. Historical - U.S.    8. John Henry (Legendary character)    9. People of Color    10. Railroad construction workers    11. United States    12. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    13. Biography & Autobiography / People of Color    14. Folk music    15. History, American | African American    16. The Americas   

Reviews (3)

Comfort and Context from Gilbert's Clarity and Compassion
"Death's Door: Modern Dying and the Ways We Grieve" is a splendid achievement and a fine companion for the "Inventions of Farewell: A Book of Elegies." I believe the elegies collection gave birth to "Death's Door."
A survey of social and cultural history documents different processes of death and grief in society
Surveys of death and grieving often embrace the psychology so much that there isn't much room for other approaches, so it's surprising to find a treatment which blends a poet and critic's vision and experiences with a focus on the psychology of pain and recovery. Such a survey is DEATH'S DOOR: MODERN DYING AND THE WAYS WE GRIEVE. A survey of social and cultural history documents different processes of death and grief in society, while the author struggles with her own reactions to deaths of loved ones. Her different viewpoints help DEATH'S DOOR stand apart from the myriad of titles on the topic.
Her own experiences and a survey of the literature
We humans are the only animals that know we are going to die. The only real questions are how and when. For Ms. Gilbert's husband, he went in for a relativly minor operation and never recovered.
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Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. Customs & Traditions    4. Death    5. Death & Dying    6. General    7. Grief    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Mourning customs    10. Social Science    11. Social aspects    12. Sociology    13. Customs & folklore    14. Social Science / General   

Reviews (1)

Simply a jewel
In recent years, quite a number of autumnal books have appeared on the market.Featuring beautiful photographs reproduced in brilliant colors, the coffee table tomes and regular-sized volumes now appear on store bookshelves just before the *real* leaves begin to change throughout the landscape.Publishers know that "leaf-peepers" want to take samples of those leaves home with them after seeing them in person.Or perhaps displaced Northerners, missing the four seasons, want visual reminders of home.
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Subjects:  1. Autumn    2. Fall foliage    3. Folklore    4. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    5. Leaves    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Trees & Forests - General    9. Nature / Trees   

Reviews (2)

Stories of clever boys
This is an excellent collection of folktales featuring heroes who overcome adversity using their wits rather than brute force.My six-year-old son absolutely loves this book, his favourite story is The Devil with Three Golden Hairs, but he loves them all.I enjoy reading most of the stories to him myself, though I admit I found a couple of them a little dull, but most of them are wonderful. The stories come from many different cultures, but all feature clever, likeable heroes .This book should appeal to any boy with imagination.

Great Folktales for Boys & Others!
This is a great collection of folktales specifically selected for the author's sons and grandson. The stories are interesting and exciting - they'll hold the attention of the most reluctant reader. Disguised under the fun tales are great lessons of character and integrity that boys today need so desperately to hear. I highly recommend it to parents, teachers, and kids! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boys / Men    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Anthologies    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Country/Ethnic-General    6. Folklore    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile Folk Tales / Mythology / Fables    9. Juvenile Short Story Collections    10. Short Stories    11. Tales    12. Juvenile Fiction / Short Stories   

Reviews (2)

Historically Inaccurate
The whole story of One Thousand and One Nights is Persian and the characters are Persian, including pure Persian names, however its better known as "Arabian Nights". This book advocates this inaccurate name and therefore is not a trustworthy source for studying the "One Thousand and One Nights".
Featuring more than 800 sperate entries
An impressively collaborative work by Ulrich Marzolph (Professor of Islamic Studies, Georg-August University, Gottingen, Germany) and Richard van Leeuwen (Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) this two-volume edition of The Arabian Nights Encyclopedia is a comprehensively detailed compilation providing students with authoritative and up-to-date research on the diverse stories historically comprising the Islamic classic collection of myth, legend, and folklore known to western readers as "The Arabian Nights". The characters, themes, most influential translations, textual history, adaptations, and literary context for each individual story is proffered in a thoroughly accessible and "user friendly" arrangement. Featuring more than 800 sperate entries organized in an A-Z format, The Arabian Nights Encyclopedia is a seminal, core, essential, informed and informative contribution to personal, professional, academic, and community library Literary Studies, Folklore Studies, and Islamic Cultural Studies reference collections and resource holdings.
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Subjects:  1. Arabian nights    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. General    4. History    5. History: World    6. Sociology    7. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval    8. Reference works    9. Social Science / Popular Culture   

Reviews (6)

even if you are not a scholarly type reader this is great
just tolearn about a way to look at the world from a new perspective, to figure out why some things make us recoil while others give us delight is reason enough to get this book.

insightful, but uneven
At the instigation of an anthropology teacher, I read this book when I was about 19 and found it shattering and profound.Now, however, returning to it years later (and having read in the meantime dozens of books on anthropology and anthropological issues, and having thought for years about what I thought I learned in this book) I'm not so sure it's as perceptive as I thought.In other words, I think what I may have found mind-blowing in my younger years was the insights of anthropology itself -- not so much the contributions of Ms. Douglas.
Absolutely great
"Purity and Danger" is one of the best anthropology books...PERIOD.You will never look at taboos/pollution/dirt the same way again, after you read this book.Well, let me rephrase that: if this book doesn't give you a new insight into these matters, it is because you have already been exposed to Douglas's ideas and were not aware of it.I think that this book is essential for anyone in the social sciences.It is a great read, and is very powerful.Social science at its best. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Customs & Traditions    3. Purity, Ritual    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. Taboo    7. Ethical issues & debates    8. Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural   

Reviews (3)

Story of Odysseus
Peter Connolly's extensive knowledge and illustrations in this book are to be commended. We used this at school, for our classical education curriculum, and though it was a bit long and involved for my class, we gleaned much knowledge and background for our history lessons.The students in my class were just a bit shocked at some of the pictures of the women, and for this reason, I did not give it a 5.We picked it, unable to preview it, on the recommendation of others.

Great Illustrations
Peter Connolly has provided (as usual) excellent illustrations in this book.I first read the Iliad when I was seventeen.As I looked through this book, chills ran down my spine as I saw the characters and sites which had long been inside of my head.Connolly has the uncanny ability to draw what is already in your imagination.
Myth Mastered
This book combines Peter Connolly's expansive knowledge of the literature of Homer with his enormous knowledge of the archaeology of the ancient world. He manages to give full value in both areas for any interested reader, whether new to either subject or not. That seems to be true of the target age group or even those of us of much hoarier vintage. Something an interested child should treasure long past the time he has apparently "grown out of it." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art and the war    2. Children's 9-12 - History - General    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. History - Ancient    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Odysseus (Greek mythology)    9. Social Science - Folklore & Mythology    10. Social Studies - Folklore & Mythology    11. Trojan War    12. Troy (Extinct city)    13. Classical languages: literary criticism    14. English    15. Fiction    16. For National Curriculum Key Stage 2    17. History, World | Ancient | Greek    18. Juvenile Nonfiction / Social Science / Folklore & Mythology   

Editorial Review

Choosing one of the few fairy tales that does not conclude with a wedding, Catherine Orenstein reinterprets the many versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" by setting the tale against the mores and values of its times. The result is a highly entertaining and interesting conversation about one of our best-known stories.Read more

Reviews (14)

The morphology of a fairy tale
Though just reduced to writing within the past three hundred years, little red riding hood existed even earlier as an oral tradition.
Red is dead long live, uh, red
This book is a fascinating insight into the background of LRRH and many of the re- written versions through time, modern to post modern. I felt compelled to read it all on each occasion that I had to read, only to have to peel myself away to get on with everyday life! Apparently I am a wolf, as are all men, but in the modern world we all know that wolfs are female as well as male, and the same goes for our precious LRRH remember those with sweetest tounge are the most dangerous of all!!

Cross-Dressing Wolves and Other Tales
In the best tradition of interdisciplinary studies, this book covers a little bit of everything, first grounded in the well-known fairy tale of `Little Red Riding Hood', which evolved from a cautionary tale for young women in the court of Louis XIV in the 17th C.In this tale (which is revealed later to possibly be based on an even older story featuring the Grandmother - and a plot found in various Western and Eastern cultures), the `wolf' is not an animal to be avoided, but a wolfish man, intent on deflowering and ruining a young woman who is not wise enough to run away.From this point, the tale is discussed as it evolves into the sanitized - yet still remarkably gory - children's story of today.Every character is analyzed, and their transformations by the brothers Grimm to pornography to modern re-telling (the film `Freeway' [1996] is one example) shows how this story still registers in our present world.Orenstein is an entertaining writer, and the visuals included support her points well - the Heinz salad cream advert is a good example of our modern dark humor: it shows the wolf, still in Grandma's clothes (there's a whole chapter on the cross-dressing wolf), stating how "Any food tastes supreme" (177) with this condiment!There's so much material in this book, it's impossible to do it justice in a small review such as this: take my advice, and read this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology    2. Little Red Riding Hood (Tale)    3. Social Science    4. Sociology    5. Women's Studies - General    6. Folklore    7. Literary studies: general    8. Women's studies    9. Psychology   

Reviews (6)

A fun title that promises to reach a wide audience
HOLLOW EARTH: THE LONG AND CURIOUS HISTORY OF IMAGINING STRANGE LANDS, FANTASTICAL CREATURES, ADVANCED CIVLIZATIONS, AND MARVELOS MACHINES BELOW THE EARTH'S SURFACE is for any who have loved Jules Vern, H.G. Wells, and imaginative history. From Sir Edmond Halley's 17th century theory of a hollow earth to account for magnetic pole flux to Hitler's search for an opening in the planet to use as a possible hideout, chapters chart speculations and manias from ancient civilizations to modern times, providing a lively survey not just of evolving beliefs, but of how they fostered changes. The forty illustrations include maps and movie posters and provide vivid accompaniment to a fun title that promises to reach a wide audience - and not just science fiction buffs.
A Study of Fiction and Foolishness
This book is mainly about two groups of people. There are those who wrote storys about a hollow earth, usually with all manner of strange and wonderful beings: dinosaurs, giant gorillas (who seem to fall for scantily clad beautiful young ladies), and all sorts of savage humans. But at least these people know that they were writing fiction.
The Hollow Earth.
_Hollow Earth:The Long and Curious History of Imagining Strange Lands, Fantastical Creatures, Advanced Civilizations, and Marvelous Machines Below the Earth's Surface_ by journalist David Standish is a fascinating account of the various individuals who believed in or promoted the idea that the earth was indeed a hollow sphere.The idea that the earth may be hollow is very ancient and many ancient cultures believed in underground worlds.While modern science has shown this not to be the case, many have continued to believe in a hollow earth.This book traces that belief through history beginning with the astronomer and scientist Sir Edmund Halley (best known for his "Halley's comet") and onwards through the various adventurers and literary figures who maintained such a belief.Among other individuals covered in this book include Sir Edmund Halley, Cotton Mather, Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, L. Fank Baum, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Adolph Hitler, Admiral Byrd, Superman, and Pat Boone.All these individuals are linked together through their belief or involvement with the idea of a hollow earth.
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Subjects:  1. Civilization in literature    2. Folklore    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    5. General    6. History - General History    7. History and criticism    8. Literary Criticism    9. Science Fiction & Fantasy    10. Science fiction    11. World - General    12. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries    13. History of ideas, intellectual history   

Reviews (6)

A profound linking of ego psychology and world mythology
A prominent psychologist, knitting together the elements of Jung's psychological theory and some new elements of his own, shows how the great cycles of world myth depict the hard-won development of ego-consciousness in humanity, and how this development is recapitulated in each individual's life.
Jungian psychology clearly described.
This book was written by Erich Neumann, not C.G. Jung who wrote the Foreword. Neumann is, in my opinion, perhaps the best writer on Jungian psychology.

Explains the fundamentals of Pagan Psychology
Neumann's expo on the Uroboros as the core of primal human psychology is still the best yet. He is scholarly yet readable and free of theAmerican-type "new age" psycho-babble of the late 20th century(this was published in 1953 I believe). "Paganism" is everyone'sfirst "religion" if only because we all come from the Urobroricwomb and are naturally endowed with the self -contained narcissism thattakes all things in nature exactly as they first appear to us (what you"see" is what you get so to speak--there is no such thing asmetaphor, allegory, irony, etc.) Ideally, we grow out of this stage andprogress to higher stages, but as the "baby-boom" generation hasrevealed, many people do not evolve much beyond this stage. The currentpopular social obsession with sex (fueled by the all-powerful visual mediumof television) at face value and as an end in itself shows that many peoplenever get beyond the primal sexual stage after they leave the Uroboricstage--if they ever get beyond that even! If you are a pessimisticneo-Freudian or Nietzschean, you are bound to believe that most peoplenever do--or easily regress to lower (previous) levels of more primitiveconsciousness in times of severe distress. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Consciousness    2. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    3. General    4. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    5. Mind & Body    6. Personality    7. Psychology    8. Cognition & cognitive psychology    9. History of ideas, intellectual history    10. Mind, Body, Spirit    11. Myths & mythology    12. Social Science / Folklore & Mythology    13. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    4. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    5. History    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Myth    8. Mythology    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Anthropology | Folklore    12. History of ideas, intellectual history    13. Myths & mythology    14. Social & cultural anthropology    15. Social Science / Folklore & Mythology   

Editorial Review

The wisdom of Yiddish sayings addresses life's essential questions with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Kristina Swarner culled over 100 sayings of old-world wit, included English translations for all, and added her own Chagall-like illustrations.There's the snide "The masses are asses" (Read more

Reviews (1)

You'll love the wit and wisdom of the book!
This book makes a greatgift for anyone.It is full of wonderful sayings that apply to many different situations.I bought 6! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    2. General    3. Humor    4. Judaism - General    5. Proverbs, Yiddish    6. Quotations    7. Sociology    8. Translations into English    9. Yiddish Literature    10. Folklore    11. Jewish studies    12. Social Science / General    13. Yiddish    14. Reference   

Reviews (2)

New Book
I believe this was a new book. It wasn't marked up or anything like that, the cover was just bent a bit, which may have happened during shipping. Other than that, no complaints! :)

Review of THE WESTERN HUMANITIES
This book is an excellent resource for college students interested in humanities.This was the text used for my Humanities class.It was very easy to read and I was able digest the material covered without fallingasleep.The photos are excellent and the captions are detailed.This isan excellent book well worth the asking price. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Civilization, Western    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History Of Civilization And Culture (General)    7. History: World    8. World - General    9. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    10. Social Science / Folklore & Mythology   

Reviews (6)

The Riddles Of Classic Fairy Tales
I have read several of Maria Tatar's books for critical fairy tales analysis. close look at the uncensored tales
It was really interesting to find out about how the Grimm's collection was put together and how it was rewritten. I was surprised to read that the Grimms added violence in order to make the stories more parent-friendly--I guess parents in those days really believed that punishments would produce virtue.Loved the stories at the end, which are pretty hair-raising. Could be better
Maria Tatar's book, while excellent lacks focus.She needs more information in some areas, while in other areas, she needs entirely new sections.It is an excellent book, but you may not find all the information you're looking for.For instance, I was reading the sex and violence section, and she would go on for pages about the sources the Brothers used.While this can pertain to the section title, she strayed to much, and I felt the section was lacking information on sex and violence. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1785-1863    2. 1786-1859    3. Criticism and interpretation    4. Fairy tales    5. Folklore & Mythology    6. General    7. Germany    8. Grimm, Jacob,    9. Grimm, Wilhelm,    10. History and criticism    11. Literary Criticism    12. Literature - Classics / Criticism    13. Regional, Ethnic, Genre, Specific Subject    14. Anthropology    15. Children's literature studies: general    16. Comparative Literature    17. Folklore    18. German    19. Grimm, Jacob    20. Grimm, Wilhelm    21. Literary Criticism & Collections / German    22. Novels, other prose & writers: 16th to 18th centuries    23. Psychology   

Reviews (2)

A great read for Halloween or anytime
I remember hearing the "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the lights" story while attending a Midwestern university and it was sufficiently believeable to spook me for a long time until I read that it was an urban legend. Professor Brunvand's book details various legends from those that will send chills up your spine to others that will just tickle your funny bone. A highly recommended read for all!

3 thumbs up
this book is very cool. fun to read so you won't get bored. and you find out where some of the urban legends originated too, which will make you an interesting conversationalist at any party. ...