Insect Fact And Folklore

Book Description

This is the first book dedicated specifically to showing the important roles insects have played in mythology, and is a comprehensive and readable survey of insect myths from around the world. The book ranges from older, better-known insect myths such as sacred scarabs to new unpublished subjects such as insects as examples of parallel mythology.

Customer Reviews:

Part of our culture too.......2002-05-09

All cultures use myth to explain what they see or can't understand. As prevalent as insects are, it makes sense that there are myths on the origin of insects, and myths where insects are symbolic. This short, well-illustrated book introduces interesting topics such as "archaeoastronomy" or "parallel mythology", where separated cultures having similar myths. Examples include the metamorphism of butterflies and negative connotations of the flies (with the Navaho "Big Fly" being a striking exception).

The entomological etymology (word origin) was enriching, and I most enjoyed the Greek origin (psyche) of butterfly and soul. The chapter on arthropod references in the Bible, was helpful, and if nothing else highlights the prevalence of locust in the Middle East. "Go to the ant, you sluggard, watch her ways and get wisdom..." has long been a favorite of mine.

With my own interest in Odonata, I appreciated images of the Haidu tattoo of the mythical dragonfly and Navaho sand painting. I would also refer to the Oglala Sioux dragonfly symbolism in the Sacred Hoop (see Ed McGaa - Mother Earth Spirituality). This book also initiates thoughts on how the symbolism is still with us today, such as the Death's head moth in the "Silence of the Lamb".

One of a Kind.......2001-05-07

Ants, beetles, and flies... Oh, my! You'll find these and more in this bestiary of the insect world. Whether your interest in insect mythology is sparked by your favorite scarab bracelet or is of a more scholarly nature, this volume is a valuable resource.

Although you may find brief references to the mythological roles of insects in individual societies, here you have them assembled from both the Old and New Worlds for comparison and contrast. The ant, lauded for its industry by the Chinese, becomes the spiteful, diseased villain of the Pueblo Indians. Throughout the cultures included here, myths use the characteristics of insects to create a symbology recognizable from common usage. The expression "busy as a bee" indicates a cultural respect for the bee's reputation as a hard worker that seems to be the consensus of many cultures. On the other hand, you have the Egyptians giving credit to the fly for its persistence which might be more difficult to honor.

The Old World section begins with early naturalists who made mythology part of our science, thanks to their classical education. You'll find the scarab with other insects of Egyptian lore and an update on the insects of the Bible. New translations have made it necessary to change more than half of the King James Version references on which many studies have been based. It seems the poetic license of translation extended to the insect world. The more entomologically correct translations are recommended along with a table based on the Revised English Bible.

The New World chapters discuss the insects found in Mesoamerican astronomy and Native American mythology. The familiar constellations take on a whole new dimension in the interpretations of Mayan and other cultures. Who knew they were in the stars and on totem poles?

While this is fascinating for general readers, the scholarship of Insect Mythology validates it for use by experts. The authors' credentials combine to form a sound basis for their work backed by substantial references and amply illustrated. They have made the information very readable and included a table of contents, lists of illustrations and tables, and a thorough index. This makes the it easily accessible for the readers, be they entomologist, Biblical scholar or the owner of a scarab bracelet.

Average customer rating:

powerful poetic voice

Zinnia: How the Corn Was Saved
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Manufacturer: Salina Bookshelf, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Amazon.com

Jack Kerouac produced a substantial body of writings in his mercurial career. His drug- and alcohol-inspired furious bursts on the typewriter created energetic and exciting prose, chronicling his experiences and impressions of the untapped restlessness of America in the 1950s. On the Road is certainly his most recognized and influential work, but among his other efforts are books and stories that range from inspired beauty and to sad desperation. Ann Charters, who wrote the first Kerouac biography in 1973 and worked with him in preparing his first bibliography, has assembled here a first-rate sample of some of his better work. The collection is a perfect way to sample Kerouac and necessary for those looking past On the Road.

Customer Reviews:

WILD, WEIRD, WONDERFUL--- AND WOOLLY AND WOOZY,.......2001-01-15

GRANTED that the selections are a mishmash of Kerouac styles, and at times misuse words with a kind of tender haughtiness and screw you if you don't like it but this is what I bruit. Bruit? But at his best Kerouac time and again tells us of that railroad earth and trains rolling under October skies and rushes up our noses with piney phrases that would raise gooseflesh on Thomas Wolfe. What's more, Ann Charters serves Jack nobly by inventively selecting along a timeline that captures the hero's age throughout, a superb bit of editing much like Malcolm Cowley's for The Portable Faulkner in which he patched together a groundbreaking picture of Yoknapatawpha County from Faulkner's many works. A Must-Have Kerouac volume that should break ground for new readers and give old admirers a bath in that old spontaneous prose he dreamed up nightly with candlelight on the kitchen table, booze, and weed. Some of it's mush, some visionary, and much of it just what writing should be: straight from the heart.

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This collection is wonderfully edited. There are no major breaks in the plot and Ann Charters commentary provides a good context to understand the book (e.g. she provides a table that matches character names to actual people). However, since the books were written out of order, the immensely different writing styles of Kerouac's different novels do not mesh well at times. It is fine for somebody who has had previous exposure to Kerouac's writing and now wants a survey of all his different styles, but I would generally recommend buying the individual books.

almost confusing.......1999-02-27

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The Portable Jack Kerouac.(Brief Article): An article from: The Review of Contemporary Fiction

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The Portable Jack Kerouac.(Brief Article): An article from: The Review of Contemporary Fiction
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Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Review of Contemporary Fiction, published by Review of Contemporary Fiction on March 22, 1995. The length of the article is 549 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Portable Jack Kerouac.(Brief Article)
Author: Steven Moore
Publication: The Review of Contemporary Fiction (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1995
Publisher: Review of Contemporary Fiction
Volume: v15 Issue: n1 Page: p161(2)

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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