Myth

A Very Short Introduction

By: Robert A. Segal

Narrated by: Ben Esner

Where do myths come from? What is their function, and what do they mean?

In this Very Short Introduction, Robert Segal introduces the array of approaches used to understand the study of myth. These approaches hail from disciplines as varied as anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary criticism, philosophy, science, and religious studies. Including ideas from theorists as varied as Sigmund Freud, Claude Levi-Strauss, Albert Camus, and Roland Barthes, Segal uses the famous ancient myth of Adonis to analyze their individual approaches and theories.

In this new edition, he not only considers the future study of myth, but also considers the interactions of myth theory with cognitive science, the implications of the myth of Gaia, and the differences between storytelling and myth.

©2015 Robert A. Segal (P)2021 Tantor

Good But Very North-American Centred

Segal's introduction into the historical study of myth is very rich in its account of the diverse ways myth has been considered in the past. The chapters develop logically and focus on myth's study in various domains of knowledge (science, religion, philosophy, literature, psychoanalysis, anthropology), along with the various schools (the Cambridge Ritualists for example) which emerged throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on myth as it relates to ritual, and i also felt like the individual writer (i.e., Northrop Frye, Claude Levi-Strauss) break-downs were helpful, concise, and very condensed. They give you a good grasp of where your own ideas about myth might fit, and who to read next.

I did find Segal's focus on using the Adonis myth to explain how different scholars studied myth to be a little bit confusing in areas. Perhaps different examples from different cultures could have worked better here. I did also find the final chapter on myth today to be a little bit reductive, but there are no diagrams the author refers to that you cannot see, which has been a problem with the Oxford Introduction series. One final criticism/warning ( which will not concern a US listener) I have concerns the American-centred nature of the discourse. The author unconsciously assumes that his audience is a white, male, middle class heterosexual from North America, and this did render the introduction a little bit limited in areas. It came out very strongly in the psychoanalysis section, which I skipped on my second listening.

Another title on Audible i would recommend is "Classical Mythology" by Elizabeth Vandiver. Although i am no fan of the Great Courses series because of the pseudo-lecture-hall style they create, she presents a very detailed analysis of classical mythology, uses the ideas of many of the scholars Segal discusses here, but she does so in a much more detailed and inclusive manner. I definitely would not recommend the "Myth in Human History Series".

But it is great that Audible growing its mythography and anthropology content. You can also now listen to the Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough, and Mary Douglas's Purity and Danger as well.

Happy listening!