The Golden Bough
Sir James George Frazer (1854-1941) is rightly regarded as one of the founders of modern anthropology. The Golden Bough, his masterpiece, appeared in twelve volumes between 1890 and 1915. This volume is the author's own abridgement of his great work, and was first published in 1922. Remarkable...
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Sir James George Frazer (1854-1941) is rightly regarded as one of the founders of modern anthropology. The Golden Bough, his masterpiece, appeared in twelve volumes between 1890 and 1915. This volume is the author's own abridgement of his great work, and was first published in 1922. Remarkable for its vast assembly of facts and its charm of presentation, it offers the thesis that man progresses from magic through religious belief to scientific thought. It discusses fertility rites, human sacrifice, the dying god, the scapegoat and many other symbols and practices which have influenced a whole generation of 20th century writers, including D.H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9781853263101 (1853263109)
ASIN: 1853263109
Publish date: April 1st 1998
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions
Pages no: 768
Edition language: English
Category:
Fantasy,
Classics,
Non Fiction,
History,
Reference,
Religion,
Philosophy,
Spirituality,
Anthropology,
Mythology,
Folklore
AcknowledgementsIntroductionNote on the TextSelect BibliographyA Chronology of Sir James George Frazer--The Golden Bough [Abridged]Explanatory NotesIndex
The Foreword compares Frazer and Golden Bough in its impact to such revolutionary thinkers of the 19th Century as Darwin, Marx, and Freud. This seminal work of anthropology and comparative religion first published in 1890 was in fact a great influence on Freud and Jung as well as T.S. Eliot and Yeat...
A modern day classic to be sure and it certainly makes for an interesting read. Although I did find my wavering a bit towards the end and found myself dipping in and out of the book, its content did keep me coming back for more. A lot of his work has since been disproved over the years, but there's...
So far, while it does a lot of mythological name-dropping, and the very thin veil of a theme seems accurate, I'm tempted to say that this book is a real mess. Goddesses with mixed up attributes, bald-faced assumptions about ancient societies, and rampant misspellings almost turn me off. And yet, I h...
One simply cannot, in my opinion, understand anything about the history and origins of religion -- and of society (for the primitive social unit, the family, is primarily a religious unit) -- without a thorough mastery of this book.In this context, a study of de Fustel Coulanges is also essential: h...
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