A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology: Wherein an attempt is made to divest tradition of fable, and to reduce the truth to its original purity

by Jacob Bryant

A new system, or, An analysis of ancient mythology... Vol. 1/3

A New System, according to its subtitle, was "an attempt … to divest tradition of fable, and to reduce the truth to its original purity;" the actual result was simply a fantastic hodgepodge of spurious etymology (in the manner of Bochart) and riotous imagination. The work opened conversation between world scholars, as several writers publicly opposed Bryant’s ideas and encouraged him to respond through further writing.

Genres: History

570 pages

First published January 1, 1774

About the author

Jacob Bryant (1715 – 1804) was a British scholar and mythographer, who has been described as "the outstanding figure among the mythagogoues who flourished in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries".