La naturaleza de los mitos griegos

by Geoffrey S. Kirk, Basi Mira de Maragall (Translator), P. Carranza (Translator)

Los griegos ejemplificaron en buena medida su pensamiento a través de los mitos. Desde su dimensión imaginaria pero perfectamente integrada a la vida cotidiana, el mito daba cabida a las inquietudes humanas, al devenir histórico y a la visión que tenían del mundo. El objetivo de La naturaleza de los mitos griegos, más que a referirse al contenido de éstos, es argumentar sobre lo que puede considerarse mito griego y examinar sus funciones y su posible evolución. Geoffrey S. Kirk, que fue profesor en Yale y Cambridge, es autor de conocidos tratados sobre el mundo clásico.

Genres: Mythology, History, Nonfiction, Classics, Religion, Greece, Anthropology

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Geoffrey Stephen Kirk was an English classicist known for his writings on Ancient Greek literature and mythology. He was Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge from 1974 to 1984.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting theoretical interpretation of the Greek myths. The first third of the book deals with the nature of myths in general and provides a clear and accessible overview of major theories of interpretation from the disciplines of anthropology,philosophy and psychology. Kirk then applies his own theoretical synthesis to the Greek myths. I found his analysis of the hero myths, especially Heracles interesting. The book ends with a thought provoking chapter on mythical and philosophical thinking.

I was disappointed that author did not examine gender and gender roles in myth, a topic which interests me. However, I learned a lot from the book and it left me with much to think about.

[Narr · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're expecting Joseph Campbell, you'll be disappointed. However, if you're interested in the backstory of Greek myths, then you'll enjoy this.

His discussion of myth v. mythology and myth v. folktales is enjoyable, as are his discussions about the original use of myths and the development of the hero myths. His writing style leans pretty heavily toward the academic at times, but then he can be amazing pithy and clear.

There are a couple of shortfalls to the book. Kirk's footnotes are not conversational and there are not enough. Instead of tracing the routes he took to arrive at his thoughts his notes simply reference which translation he used for a particular myth (for those of us who care about such things).

Kirk will change your perception of the origin, development, and use of Greek myths.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the academic tone of this one. The areas covered are very interesting, specifically the beginning which differentiates between folk tales and myths, and provides an overview of the monolithic theories of myth, from ritual stories, to creation stories, to charters for societies, and all the way to releases for taboo human preoccupations. This is the first book on mythology I’ve read which has provided such an overview, and it has inspired me to seek out more information about these theories even if they have all been debunked.

The book goes into detail on hero myths and dedicates a whole chapter to Hercules. It also tackles the questions of whether all myths are somehow linked to ritual, how much of an influence Western Asia may have had on Greek myths, and how the Greek world shifted from mythology to philosophy. I very much enjoyed that there were no easy answers, as popular books often take a black and white approach to these kinds of issues.

Don’t go into this if you don’t already have some familiarity of Greek myths. Also, this is NOT a collection of Greek myths, but of how Greek myths may have developed and what their uses may have been. Some knowledge of Egyptian and Sumerian myths is also helpful. I can’t imagine getting my bearings without some foundational knowledge of the above. If you have a passing familiarity with Gilgamesh, Ishtar, and co., you should feel right at home.

[Raymonds009]

Thoughtful and expansive of this well-covered topic.

[Shane Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

It takes a read bad author to make such a fascinating subject such as Greek Mythology boring but this author has managed to do so.....what a dry turgid read.....

[Samrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting if a bit unfocused. I do think, by the end, that Kirk does a great job of, "abundantly demonstrat[ing] [myths] are a diverse phenomenon with disparate causes and lines of development."

[Clifton Toliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This still ranks as one of the top books you will read on the nature of Greek Mythology. Kirk does a great job with his topic, especially the manner in which he separates myth from mythology and myth from folktale in an interesting way which I will not reveal. Let's just say for the moment it is a very intriguing and thought provoking arguement. This is one book that I think everyone who has an interest in mythology shoud read.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a terrible time following this book. And unfortunately, the Classics instructor didn't add much to help me out. Some of the monolithic theories discussed could be helpful in studying myth, but I'd have to find some more information or additional sources.