Phallic Miscellanies

Hargrave JenningsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 250K words
Chapters: 26

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Phallic Miscellanies by Hargrave JenningsAuthor: Jennings, Hargrave, 1817?-1890,Language: English, Class: BL: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Religion: General, Miscellaneous and Atheism, Release Date: May 29, 2011

Editor's review

This book is Hargrave Jennings's work on generative symbolism and ancient worship, falling within the comparative study of religion and myth. In a miscellany-like style, the author gathers related symbols, rituals, and legends from various cultures, attempting to explain their meanings from the perspective of symbolic anthropology. As a nineteenth-century public-domain text, its value lies more in revealing the preoccupations and methods of material organization of early comparative religion than in offering contemporary scholarly conclusions. Readers may treat it as a source for intellectual history and documentary history, observing how scholars of that era understood cross-cultural symbolic systems. The material is heterogeneous and the inferences bold; it should be read with a critical eye, distinguishing original records from the author's interpretations. The original is in English, with numerous terms and quotations, making it suitable for readers with some experience in religious studies or anthropology; it is not recommended as an introductory text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students in religious studies or comparative mythology who need early research texts for reference
Research-oriented readers interested in symbolic anthropology and ancient worship
Scholars compiling intellectual or academic history who need to consult nineteenth-century works
Enthusiasts with good English reading ability who can critically handle miscellany material

Not a good fit for

Beginners seeking contemporary scholarly consensus or systematic theory
Readers sensitive to explicit symbolic descriptions who prefer clean reading material
Those who struggle with long English sentences and quotations and need sentence-by-sentence translation support

Reading tips

Read the introduction or first chapter to understand the author's intent and sources before deciding which chapters to read closely.
While reading, distinguish factual records from the author's inferences, using two colors to mark them and train critical reading.
When encountering quotations, verify the original sources to appreciate the citation habits and limitations of nineteenth-century works.
After finishing, compare with a contemporary introduction to religious anthropology to contrast the preoccupations and methods.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable as an introduction to religious studies?

Not really. It is a nineteenth-century miscellany with loosely organized material and inferences limited by its era, lacking the systematic framework and reference standards of contemporary scholarship. Beginners may mistake the author's personal interpretations for established conclusions. It is advisable to read a contemporary introduction to religious studies first, then use this as a historical source for comparison.

Do the views in the book still hold today?

Many of the inferences are products of early comparative religion, and their methods and conclusions have largely been revised or superseded. Their value lies not in being correct but in showing how an era collected and organized cross-cultural material. Readers should separate the author's interpretations from original records and should not cite his views directly as evidence.

What background knowledge is needed to read it?

A basic grasp of concepts in religious studies and anthropology, an understanding of the basic strengths and weaknesses of comparative method, and familiarity with common types of ancient myth and ritual are recommended. In English, one should be able to handle long sentences and old-style quotations. If background is insufficient, reading one or two general books on religious anthropology first will make this book much easier.

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About the author

Hargrave Jennings Author · British · 1817–1890

Hargrave Jennings (1817?–1890) was a British antiquarian and writer active in the nineteenth century. Public information about his life is limited, and even his birth year is uncertain, usually given as around 1817; he died in 1890. He long devoted attention to the occult, religion and folklore, combining antiquarian research with symbolic interpretation in a speculative style of writing. His representative work, Phallic Miscellanies, deals with phallic worship and related symbolic customs, gathering materials on rituals, images and legends from various regions and reflecting the Victorian interest in comparative religion and ancient symbolism. Such subjects call for caution today, yet his compilations and discussions remain a reference for the study of nineteenth-century occultism and religious folklore.