Modern Mythology

Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 335K words
Chapters: 34

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.Modern Mythology by Andrew LangAuthor: Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912,Language: English, Class: BL: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Religion: General, Miscellaneous and Atheism, Release Date: Jan 3, 2005

Editor's review

Modern Mythology is Andrew Lang's systematic reflection on the methods of myth research. Its core is a critique of the then-prevailing overreliance on linguistics in comparative mythology, arguing instead for understanding how myths are generated and transmitted through concrete texts and folklore materials. Lang's prose carries the argumentative temperament of a Victorian scholar: closely reasoned yet still readable, and highly useful for understanding the late nineteenth-century debates in mythology. As a public-domain ebook from Project Gutenberg, it is easy to search and cite, and suits use as supplementary reading in the early academic history of mythology, religious studies, and anthropology. It should not be read as a collection of myths but as a work of methodological criticism; reading it alongside Lang's other works on mythology or relevant discussions by Tylor and Müller will make its central questions clearer. It is well suited to close reading in sections during commutes or breaks from research; where dense philological examples appear, they can be skimmed first while keeping hold of the main line of argument.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the theoretical history of mythology and nineteenth-century academic debates
Students and researchers in religious studies, anthropology, or folklore
Scholars who need to cite public-domain English sources
Advanced nonfiction readers accustomed to academic argumentation

Not a good fit for

General readers looking for a myth story collection for light reading
Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet up to long argumentative sentences
Introductory learners expecting a systematic textbook-style knowledge framework

Reading tips

Read the introduction and conclusion first to grasp Lang's main criticisms of comparative mythology, then return to the chapters of examples.
Keep notes recording the specific scholars and arguments Lang rebuts, to help trace the academic history.
Where dense linguistic examples appear, skip them first and look closely on a second pass at the parts related to the core argument.
Read alongside relevant discussions by Müller or Tylor to understand where the two sides of the debate diverge.

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 a collection of myths?

No. It is closer to a methodological critique of myth studies, discussing how to study myths and how to evaluate the then-popular comparative mythology approach, rather than compiling myths. Those who want a story collection need to look elsewhere.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

It is best to have some understanding of the basic claims of nineteenth-century comparative mythology and the ability to read long English academic sentences. Familiarity with the names and views of Tylor, Müller, and others will make Lang's criticism much easier to follow.

Is the Gutenberg edition suitable for academic citation?

The Gutenberg edition is a public-domain electronic text, convenient for searching and checking the original, and can serve as a reading and preliminary citation copy; for formal academic writing, it is still advisable to check the page numbers of an authoritative print or critical edition and to note the source of the electronic text.

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About the author

Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912 Author

Andrew Lang (1844–1912) was a British writer, poet and folklorist best known for compiling collections of fairy tales and myths. The library holds 77 of his works, including The Blue Fairy Book, The Red Fairy Book, The Yellow Fairy Book, The Violet Fairy Book and The Brown Fairy Book, as well as Tales of Troy and Greece and The Homeric Hymns. He gathered, edited and retold folk tales from Europe and around the world, naming the volumes by colour; his clear, fluent prose served both children and folklore scholarship. These collections preserved a wealth of oral material and shaped the modern English-speaking world's image of fairy tales, leaving a lasting influence on fairy-tale publishing and comparative story research. Public information on his life is limited, so this note focuses on his editorial and literary contributions.