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* This story is set down exactly as it was told by the Island Chronicler.
Well, I wish you could have been here in Mrs. Gunning's day. She was the oddest woman on Mackinac. Not that she exerted herself to attract attention. But she was such a character, and her manners were so astonishing, that she furnished perennial entertainment to the few families of us constituting island society. ... Read more

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"We, the readers and students of literature, have been hijacked. The literary critics, our teachers, those assassins of culture, have put us up against the wall and held us captive." So begins Jonah Raskin's The Mythology of Imperialism. When first published in 1971, this book was nothing short of a call to arms, an open revolt against the literary establishment. In his critique of five well-known British writers—Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, D. H. Lawrence, E. M. Forster, and Joyce Cary—Raskin not only developed the model for a revolutionary anti-imperialist criticism, but, through this book's influence on Edward Said, helped usher in the field of postcolonial studies.

Nearly four decades later, The Mythology of Imperialism is all the more relevant. Its readings of British literature still offer bold and original insight into the relationship between text, artist, and historical context. But, perhaps more crucially, this book sends a revolutionary message to all readers and students of literature. Against much of today's postcolonialism—diluted by postmodern obfuscation and largely detached from its historical roots—Raskin locates the center of his anti-imperialist criticism in the anti-imperialist struggle itself and takes his cues not from "the assassins of culture" in the academy but from the national liberation movements of his time.

Written with absorbing passion and machete-sharp analysis, this new edition of The Mythology of Imperialism includes the original text, a new introduction and afterword by the author, and a preface by Bruce Robbins.

Customer Reviews (2)

A core addition to any collection focusing on British literature
How does the classic literature of Britain's imperial era come into play in today's world? "The Mythology of Imperialism: A Revolutionary Critique of British Literature and Society in the Modern Age" was first published in 1971, but today it still holds much ground as Britain and its former colonies continue to grow more distant from the principles of the Empire, as author Jonah Raskin predicted almost forty years ago. His work is a must read for anyone evaluating and criticizing modern English literature in comparison to the literature of the empire. "The Mythology of Imperialism" is a core addition to any collection focusing on British literature.

An inspiring, invigorating look at British writers of the Imperialist period through the eyes of a revolutionary.
I've been wanting to read this book, long out of print, since I found it mentioned in Edward Said's Culture and Imperialism.Said singled out Jonah Raskin's The Mythology of Imperialism as one of the few books that understood the connection between literature and imperialism.The book delivers on this promise.

Writing as a student for students, Raskin arms himself with the revolutionary philosophies of Castro, Mao, Minh and Debray against the literary and intellectual establishment of his time.As a student of British literature, Raskin felt it was unacceptable in the late 1960s to still be studying only white, male British writers, whose works had helped to prop up the imperialist value system of the late 19th and early 20th century.Moreover, he found his teachers (and revered critics like T.S. Eliot and F.R. Leavis) to still be entrenched in these values, particularly in his hometown of New York.In fact, as he explains in his new introduction, the publishing of this book (by Random House, no less), hurt rather than helped his chance at a tenured faculty position.This irony is compounded by the fact that in the UK, where Raskin completed the dissertation that would serve as the basis for this book, he found his professors to be more open to his radical theories about British literature than in the USA.It turns out Raskin was ahead of his time, writing about colonialism and post-colonialism years before it earned its place in the universities; The Mythology of Imperialism predates Said's landmark book on the subject, Orientalism, by a decade.

The book begins with what Raskin calls a "clarion call to arms," an introduction full of poetic vigor that outlines the radical philosophical framework of the book.Raskin's mission is to discuss the works of writers like Kipling, Conrad, Forster, and Lawrence in order to show to what degree they are either on the side of imperialism or on the side of revolution. The book itself is an exciting mix of culture, politics and literature.Raskin's is not the tone of the sedentary literature critic/student, and he isn't neutral; on the contrary, he is perfectly comfortable praising or criticizing sacred figures of British literature.His non-academic style is as irreverent as his beliefs, and the lack of footnotes makes him simultaneously accessible and anti-establishment.In addition to its iconoclastic, eye-opening literary criticism, I found The Mythology of Imperialism to be an invaluable survey of major and minor works of authors who underscored belief systems for generations of students from the elementary to the university level.The book has inspired me, as a graduate student, to read these and other texts in order to make my own large scale critiques.

I can understand why tenured professors and the literary establishment balked at Raskin's book.Not only is he promoting cultural and academic revolution, he also writes as if his was the last word on the subject.At times, I was put off by his cocksure tone, and I often felt like I missed a more academic edge.But largely I attribute this to my own conventionalism.Raskin questions why we venerate certain authors and their canonical texts and why we confine them to what he calls the "literary museum," rather than critically examine and judge their social and political implications.These questions may be common now, but they were revolutionary in the 1960s, as was Raskin's uncompromising ethical stance that writers should be socially conscious and revolutionaries themselves.I hope his message of revolution resonates with today's students and reinvigorates the literary community in a time of rehabilitated political and cultural conservatism.
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A handy reference guide to the heroes and heroines of Greek myth. This pocket dictionary highlights the famous protagonists of Greek myth and legend, including Heracles and his twelve mighty labours; Jason and Medea; Perseus, who vanquished the Gorgon Medusa and saved Andromeda from the sea monster; Bellerophon, the rider of the winged horse Pegasus; Achilles, hero of the Trojan War; and many more. An A-Z contents list enables the reader to find their favourite hero. Each entry is illustrated with colour photographs of sculptures, vase paintings, terracottas, germs and other depictions. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Volume: 3; Original Published by: Marshall Jones company in 1918 in 570 pages; Subjects: Mythology, Celtic; Mythology, Slavic; Legends, Celtic; Celts; Mythology, Baltic; Mythology; Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology; History / Europe / Western; History / Europe / Great Britain; History / Europe / Ireland; Body, Mind & Spirit / Spirituality / Celtic; Social Science / Folklore & Mythology; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Decent Survey, though somewhat dated
This book is somewhat dated (as can be expected given that it was published about a hundred years ago).At the same time, it is fairly basic in the level of analysis given, so it is probably one of the better introductions to the study of Celtic myth (after one is generally familiar with the sources and myths themselves).

Where the book really shines though is in the illustration setting.It includes detailed material on New Grange, Gaulish coins, Gaulish iconography and more.

On the whole, I think the book is still quite valuable despite its age, and I would highly recommend it.

An amazing mythology collection
I suppose that some of the work in this book, one of a 13 volume set written between 1916 and 1932 (reprinted in the 1960s), has been changed by more recent scholarship, but there is still nothing to equal this fantastic achievement.The set includes not only the more familiar myths such as Greek and Roman, but pretty well succeeds in its goal to include all of humanity. The text is extremely detailed but very readable; none of the turgid prose so often associated with academia. The volumes contain numerous illustrations, both in the text and as plates (mostly black & white.)

One of the most useful parts of the set is the final volume, an extremely detailed index, which allows the reader to pursue a theme, or even a topic as specific as the significance of belts, across all the volumes.The individual volumes do not have their own indices, but the tables of contents are fairly detailed.The books appear to have been issued without dust jackets.

good for the advanced student of mythology
Despite it seemingly basic title, this is not a basic text for explorers of Celtic mythology.For those interested in introducing themselves to the stories, something like Squire or Rolleston might be more useful.But to someone who already knows them, they will find the tale theme comparisons interesting and might also enjoy the presentations of alternative forms of the tales.It is more of a comparative study, rather than a straight forward rendering of the tales.While the three major heroes (CuChulain, Fion, and Arthur) get a fuller treatment, other stories, which would be pages long in other books, are reduced to as little as a paragraph.It is a great book, though, for one ready to delve farther into this fascinating subject. ... Read more

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Lacking... But Worth Having
It's bad when an author's socio-political motivations mar potentially decent scholarship. Case-in-point is the term Dub (Dubh, Dubhlinn, Dubhlin) - a term meaning 'black', 'dark'. Instead of indicating both, the author chose to define the term solely as 'dark'. Of course I questioned, why? Examining a number of references to places and characters, particularly characters, that normally are designated as 'Black' in Irish mythology and history, have now been transformed to 'dark' by the author instead. I then queried, could this be in response to the on-going discussion of the presence of 'Black' people that permeate Irish history and mythology, and an attempt to transform them instead to 'dark' White people? Also, Dubh-linn (Dublin), is now, according to the author 'Dark-pool' instead of Black-pool. What ever the case, consider another encyclopedia or dictionary on Celtic (Irish) mythology and history, in addition to this one, else run the risk of being left in the 'dark' on certain matters. See, as a better reference, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology - James Mackillop.

For true Celtic lovers
I admittedly didn't look through it, as I bought it new for my best friend's Christmas, but it was very nice.I'd have expected it to be heavier and more geekishly school book-like but it's not, and I'm sure my friend will love it. ... Read more

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This Halcyon Classics ebook contains the three volumes of BULFINCH'S MYTHOLOGY complete in one e-edition.Thomas Bulfinch (1796-1867) was an American writer and banker best known his works THE AGE OF FABLE, THE AGE OF CHIVALRY, and LEGENDS OF CHARLEMAGNE.The three works were first published in one volume in 1881.

Contents:

Publisher’s Preface
Author’s Preface
Stories of Gods and Heroes
King Arthur and His Knights
The Mabinogeon
Hero Myths of the British Race
Legends of Charlemagne
Glossary

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A reference to the gods and and goddesses of classical antiquity, compiled for use by both children and adults. The Romans adopted and worshipped many of the Greek pantheon and the dictionary names and describes the deities in their Roman forms. It also highlights other important supernatural beings, such as the Muses, Fates and Furies. All entries are cross-referred in alphabetical order. ... Read more

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This set re-issues Richard M. Jobson's classic works on folklore and collects writings from other influential folklorists. Available as a set or as individual volumes at $140.00/Y [Can. $210.00/Y] each, the works reprinted in this collection include Jobson's The British Folklorists ( ... Read more

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A handy reference guide to the rich pantheon of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses. This pocket dictionary highlights thirty-five major gods and goddesses and shows how they function in family groupings. Readers can find deities like Atum and Ptah who feature in myths explaining the creation of the universe. They can journey across the sky with the great sun-god Ra-Horakhty and his cohorts and enter the underworld of Osiris. Powerful goddesses such as Isis, Hathor and the ferocious lioness-headed Sekhmet are featured, as are the deities who protected the pharaoh, and those who were responsible for mummification and funerary rituals. All the entries are fully cross-referred and an A-Z contents list enables the reader to find easily a particular god or goddess. Each one is illustrated with colour photographs of paintings, papyri and sculptures depicting the deity and the hieroglyphs of his or her name. The appearance, attributes, roles and responsibilities of each god and goddess are briefly and clearly described. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Perfect Introduction to Ancient Egypt
I love this book.As an American living in Egypt, I keep a supply of this book in the house.I give them to everyone who is about to take their first tour of Egypt.It helps identify the gods and goddesses they will see everywhere.An easy way to know which goddesses you are looking at when she is wearing a vulture headdress. ... Read more