At this time of heightened political sensitivities; it may seem impossible to make serious comparisons among different cultures. And at a time when human difference is so relentlessly celebrated; it may even seem impossible to talk about the traditions and experiences that join us across race; religion; and nation. Wendy Doniger offers a powerful antidote to the paralysis of postcolonial intellectual life. In this spirited; enlightening book; she shows just how to make sense of; and learn from; the extraordinary diversity of cultures past and present. Tapping a wealth of traditions; from the Hebrew Bible to the Bhagavad Gita; Doniger crafts a new lens for examining other cultures; and finding in the world's myths--its sacred stories--a way to talk about experiences shared across time and space."Of all things made with words;" Doniger writes; "myths span the widest of human concerns; human paradoxes." Myths; she shows; bridge the cosmic and the familiar; the personal and the abstract; the theological and the political. They encourage us to draw various; even opposed; political meanings from a single text as it travels through different historical contexts. And she demonstrates how studying myths from cultures other than our own can be exhilarating and illuminating.Myth; Doniger shows; provides a near-perfect entree to another culture. Even if scholars such as Freud; Jung; and Joseph Campbell typically overstated the universality of major myths and suppressed the distinctive natures of other cultures; postcolonial critics are wrong to argue that nothing good can come from a systematic comparative study of human cultures. Doniger offers an engaged; expansive critical tool kit for doing just that. She suggests critical and responsible ways in which to compare stories--or texts or myths or traditions--from different cultures by revealing patterns of truth from themes that recur time and again.In this book; Doniger helps expand the arena of meaning we live in; leaping; in her words; "from myth to myth as if they were stepping stones over the gulf that seems to separate cultures." She enables us to see; at last; the "implied spider" that weaves the web of meaning that sustains all human cultures-the fabric of our shared humanity.
#634271 in Books 2010-05-11 2010-05-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 228.60 x 16.56 x 6.00l; .70 #File Name: 0230623883288 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The artillery masterBy Daniel PutmanHenry Knox has often been overlooked in popular history books. His time as Washington’s first Secretary of War was not impressive and he is often casually mentioned as one of Washington’s better generals. But; as Mark Puls demonstrates; Knox was a critical part of the Revolutionary War. Knox pulled off two feats that are still hard to believe given the technology of the time. One was moving sixty tons of artillery over 300 miles from Ticonderoga to Boston through the wilderness; a move which made the siege of Boston possible early in the war. As Puls notes; without that; there would almost certainly have been no early American victory that forced the British to evacuate the city. Equally impressive was Knox’s extraordinary feat of moving artillery across the Delaware River prior to Washington’s attack on Trenton. Puls spells out in some detail how Knox preformed that feat in a tiny window of time in incredibly difficult circumstances. Knox made mistakes like deciding to attack the British in a fortified house near Germantown which held back critical troops and may have turned a victory into a loss (or tie). But overall Henry Knox was one of the best generals the Americans had in the Revolution. Puls’s description of the battle scenes are page-turners and the overall organization of the book is very good.Having read both this book and Puls’s biography of Sam Adams; I found this book much better. Perhaps the reason was that the military exploits of Knox make more compelling reading but I also found Knox’s personality more completely developed than that of Adams. The book’s subtitle; “Visionary General;†refers among other things to Knox’s work to found a military academy well ahead of the establishment of West Point and; after the war; his draft for a new constitution which mirrored in remarkable fashion the document which came later. This is an excellent biography that gives the reader real insight into both Knox’s personality as well as the strategy of the war and Knox’s deep friendship with Washington. I highly recommend it.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A brief history of Gen KnoxBy RETIRED ChefI thought the author did a faithful job on this this book; but description on most of the engagements fought where lacking; and actually a few where not even mention; his description on how Knox and Washington retreated out of NYC was written in a couple pages or less. You would thought he would of written more about most of the Battles as most of them depended on Knox knowledge and ability in moving his artillery like at Trenton. But it did cover a lot of time in Knox'S life so I guess if he had went into more detail the book would three time thicker; but it maintain a good flow and was an enjoyable read;1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Henry Knox- An Incredible LeaderBy Mimi CoffeyHenry Knox was not only a jack of all trades; he was its master too. He was Washington's Chief General on artillery. He helped beef up the Navy (convincing Congress to buy 6 cheap but cutting edge ships when it could afford none); he came up with the 3 tiered government of checks and balances and communicated this with Constitutional Congress delegate Governeur Morris who made it happen. He was loyal to Washington when Conway's Cabal almost replaced Washington with General Gates. Always a man of action; impeccable smarts; a visionary and of good character; the country owes much to this one incredible man. He was the Ben Franklin of diplomacy in both the congressional and military arenas. Yet it all started when he started working as an understudy at the age of 12 in a bookstore (reading voraciously) to help put food on the table for his mother and brother. A man of good heart achieves much; a fantastic and inspiring read. Mark Puls not only captured Henry Knox's spirit but mine too (as the reader) over such a marvelous hero's story well told
