Other Peoples’ Myths: The Cave of Echoes.
1988 · New York
by O’Flaherty, Wendy Doniger.
New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, (1988). Octavo, slick burgundy cloth (hardcover), gilt letters, x + 225 pp. Near-Fine, with neat former-owner signature; in a Fine dust jacket. From dust jacket: What can myths teach us? What truths can they bring to a world that flees the magical stories and tales of traditions? Other Peoples’ Myths is a wonderfully entertaining celebration of the universal art of storytelling, and of the rich diversity of stories that people live by. Drawing on Biblical parables, Greek myths, Hindu epics, and the modern mythologies of Woody Allen and soap operas, Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty encourages us to feel anew the force of myth and tradition in our lives, and in the lives of other cultures. She shows that the stories of mythology -- whether of Greek gods, Chinese sages, or Polish rabbis -- enable all cultures to define themselves. She raises critical questions about the way we interpret mythical stories, espcially the ways different cultures make use of (or claim no longer to heed) their central texts, stories, and traditions. And she offers a sophisticated way of looking at the roles myths play in all cultures. Are myths lies? Can stories about Hindu yogis, talking horses, or Catholic witches affect the day-to-day life of the modern world? According to O’Flaherty, a myth resembles Picasso’s definition of art: a lie that tells the truth. Myths are, in the most profound sense, true stories that represent the deepest values of a culture and shape the way people inest their world with meaning, purpose, and order. Myths are everywhere -- even and especially, in our own lives. We have to know how to look, what to look for, and what to make of what we find... (Inventory #: 5129fd)