Publication

1981 - St. Martin's Press, New York

Language

English

Word Count

70,000 words, Guess

Page Count

280 pages

Identifiers

and 2 more
  • Better World Books9780312805104
  • Open LibraryOL21250494M

Classifications

  • LCCCB19 .T53

Description

In the opening passages of his classic book, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light, William Irwin Thompson asks the question, "But what is myth that it returns to mind even when we would most escape it?" Acknowledging the pervasive power of myth to create and inform culture, Thompson answers this question by weaving descriptions of the human abilities to create life and to communicate through symbolic myths based on male and female forms of power. Taking us from the earliest periods of prehistory through the time of female goddess worship to the rise of the male-dominated warrior state, Thompson shows the passage of humankind's relationship to nature from initial awe to persistent conquest. At the end of his journey, Thompson finds an answer to his original question: myth is the history of the soul; its creation is ongoing and its power is never-ending. This is a beautiful and fascinating book now being reissued for a new generation of readers, as well as for those it inspired originally.

Subjects

Other Editions

  • The Time falling bodies take to light: mythology, sexuality, and the origins of cultureSt. Martin's Press1981-01-01

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