Myth Ritual Memory And Exchange

This book is a collection of essays by John Gould, all of which focus on the interaction between Greek mythology and culture, and the various ways in which these two things have shaped each other. The essays are arranged in a way that makes thematic sense, and the book as a whole is a valuable resource for anyone interested in Greek mythology and culture.

At the heart of this book lies a concern with the interaction between the cultural assumptions and world-view of ancient (and often of modern) Greeks and their literature. John Gould examines the myths, rituals, memory, and exchange of ancient Greeks with an overriding interest in anthropological field-work which helps to shape his argument. The book contains the most significant essays (some now regarded as classics) written by one of the world's foremost experts in Greek mythology and culture over the last thirty years, including several previously unpublished papers. Newly revised, with reference both to corroborative material and to subsequent treatments and discussion of significantly different approaches to the same topics, these papers offer a marked coherence of focus and argument which informs the whole volume. Most of the essays arise out of the experience of teaching and address problems, puzzles, and misunderstandings encountered by students. Review: invaluable collection from a life's work at the cutting edge of literary interpretation. Alan Griffiths Lively reading ... There is a vast amount here to digest and reflect upon. Alan Griffiths, Times Literary Supplement Myth, Ritual, Memory, and Exchange is itself a fitting memorial to Gould's humane scholarship. Tim Rood, Bryn Mawr Classical Review What this excellent volume does attest - and what gives it a good deal of its overall coherence - is what Gould himself acknowledges as his 'pervasive interest in anthropological fieldwork'. Tim Rood, Bryn Mawr Classical Review Overall, though, it is a great benefit to have these pieces gathered together in one volume. Tim Rood, Bryn Mawr Classical Review