The Other Within: The Genius of Deformity in Myth, Culture, & Pscyhe

by Daniel Deardorff

How society's misfits inspire our poetic consciousness. Consciously or not, many street-crazies, homeless and panhandlers embody subversive virtue by adopting the classic Trickster paradigm. In this groundbreaking new study, the author demonstrates that this misfits embody Trickster-wisdom and provide creative and innovative benefits to the same society that invalidates and excludes its practicioners. With examples from myth and poetry, the author identifies and delineates the specific qualities of Tricksters-- as well as the assumptions and behaviors which enable Tricksters to flourish within their oppressed and descended circumstances. He suggests that these Tricksters among us are acting out our collective, subconscious responses to a betrayal of a mythic promised life.

Genres: Mythology, Disability, Psychology

Paperback

Published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to get into this book. It was t that it was bad. I just didn't expect what felt like short mini essays.