In Chinese Mythology; Anne Birrell provides English translations of some 300 representative myth narratives selected from over 100 classical texts; many of which have never before been translated into any Western language. Organizing the narratives according to themes and motifs common to world mythology; Birrell addresses issues of source; dating; attribution; textural variants; multiforms; and context. Drawing on exhaustive work in comparative mythology; she surveys the development of Chinese myth studies; summarizes the contribution of Chinese and Japanese scholars to the study of Chinese myth since the 1920s; and examines special aspects of traditional approaches to Chinese myth. The result is an unprecedented guide to the study of Chinese myth for specialists and nonspecialists alike.
#410597 in BooksColor: Paperback; John D Baines 1991-06-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.26 x .67 x 6.08l; .88 #File Name: 0801497868232 pagesReligion in Ancient Egypt Gods Myths and Personal Practice
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Great introduction of the subjectBy Latoya HAs someone who has never studied or read anything regarding this subject before I can honestly say this has been an enjoyable; as well as; informative read.Chapter 1 Divinity and Deities in Ancient Egypt was beautifully written and therefore very easy to get through.Chapter 2 Ancient Egyptian Cosmogonies and Cosmology (my personal favorite) was a little more difficult to get through but definitely worth the effort. The author was trying to present (the rise of) each cosmogonical myth in context to what was going on both socially and politically around its city of origin; as well as Egypt as a whole; at the time.Chapter 3 Society; Morality; and Religious Practice was the hardest to get through mainly because it was written in a way that was; at times; hard to understand. Some of the sentences didn't make sense and there were whole paragraphs that did not seem to belong with the rest of the text. It seemed as though everything that the author was trying to convey could have been done with about half the amount of text. Having said that; I did find the information presented extremely interesting and something I hadn't considered before (its a shame I kept nodding off). It was a nice break from what I normally read and; not having much to compare it to; would certainly recommend it to others.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Dana L. CourtneyLove learning new things about the Egyptians2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Decidedly unevenBy DAJCollections of essays by different scholars often have difficulty painting a cohesive picture of the subject; and this book is a case in point. It only patchily covers the history of Egyptian religion; and there's very little description of religious developments after the New Kingdom. Temple rites and funerary customs are described only in passing; as is mythology aside from the creation myths.David Silverman's chapter on the deities covers that territory reasonably well; describing some major categories of deities (national deities; local ones; foreign gods; funerary gods; and so on) and discussing the relationship between the gods and the king. Leonard Lesko describes the major creation myths; though not as readably as James P. Allen. He then argues for an Egyptian conception of the shape of the world that clashes with some of the textual evidence and with what the Egyptians could see around them. (If they thought the universe was a hemisphere; the sky was the hard dome at the top; and the stars were holes in the dome; how did they explain the movement of the stars during the night?)John Baines' essay covers everyday religious beliefs and practices; including morality; magic; divination; and popular religion. He touches on important subjects that Egyptologists don't talk about enough; but he makes his insights rather difficult to absorb with his vague and abstract language. A reader unfamiliar with the general shape of Egyptian religious practice could well get lost here. Baines' essay is therefore the most useful to the expert; those looking for an introduction to Egyptian religion should look elsewhere. Stephen Quirke's Ancient Egyptian Religion is a readable but rather simple overview; while Gods and Men in Egypt is more academic and has the kind of depth that this book seems to have been aiming for.
