Rich with implications for the history of sexuality; gender issues; and patterns of Hellenic literary imagining; Marcel Detienne's landmark book recasts long-standing ideas about the fertility myth of Adonis. The author challenges Sir James Frazer's thesis that the vegetation god Adonis-- whose premature death was mourned by women and whose resurrection marked a joyous occasion--represented the annual cycle of growth and decay in agriculture. Using the analytic tools of structuralism; Detienne shows instead that the festivals of Adonis depict a seductive but impotent and fruitless deity--whose physical ineptitude led to his death in a boar hunt; after which his body was found in a lettuce patch. Contrasting the festivals of Adonis with the solemn ones dedicated to Demeter; the goddess of grain; he reveals the former as a parody and negation of the institution of marriage. Detienne considers the short-lived gardens that Athenian women planted in mockery for Adonis's festival; and explores the function of such vegetal matter as spices; mint; myrrh; cereal; and wet plants in religious practice and in a wide selection of myths. His inquiry exposes; among many things; attitudes toward sexual activities ranging from "perverse" acts to marital relations.
#310640 in Books James F White 1993-01-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .44 x 6.00l; .72 #File Name: 0687034140192 pagesA Brief History of Christian Worship
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I feel like you have to either be Catholic or have some ...By Lynette BelievesI feel like you have to either be Catholic or have some understanding and or interest in/of the catholic tradition; to get a good read out of this book. It simply is not holding my interest; therefore I am fighting to grasp some understanding in order to do well in my class. We are in chapter IV and I am still struggling with this text. I am not a bad student! The book just has not been an effective read for me. I see all the great comments; so I feel a little out of place writing this; but it's my experience with the book. I purchased it by kindle initially but the page numbers were not in order; so I had to purchase the paperback book. It is a required text for my class on Christian Worship. For the most part I think my disinterest is mostly due to the fact that I just have no interest in the catholic tradition as a practice; and this book is filled with catholic terms and references so far; perhaps if you practice the catholic tradition you may have a much better experience.21 of 22 people found the following review helpful. A Very different analysis of worship history - excellentBy Larry D. EllisWhite does an excellent job tracking several spiritual themes through the various Christian epochs. He compares things as what was the process of becomming a Christian and other themes that most consider timeless; but instead shows the changing in what was considered normative from the early church; patristic period; medieval ages; enlightenment period and modern Christianity. I have read many many books on worship; and this one is definately worth reading and White's analysis is honest; reasonable and very informative.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Useful reference. Helpful in ordination studiesBy Jack SotallaroUseful reference. Helpful in ordination studies;
