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A review by carriedoodledoo
Bulfinch's Mythology: The Classic Introduction to Myth and Legend-Complete and Unabridged by Thomas Bulfinch
4.0
This was a lot!! Your Victorian one-stop-shop for all things myth and legend. Bulfinch created this as a sort of self-education so you could better understand the frequent references made in literature to these myths. I especially appreciated the passages of poetry, etc he placed at the ends of the stories they were relevant to. Plus, if you're in a hurry, there's a glossary at the back so you can quick look up, say, Branwen, or Orlando.
I also like that this is not just the classic Greek myths...this is an overview of Charlemagne, Norse, Welsh and Arthurian legend as well, with a smattering of the Far East Hindu and Buddhist stories as well. Basically, anything that would have come up in Victorian and earlier literary endeavors. It is three volumes in one!
Now obviously, mythology has undergone a bit of a reemergence as the new hot subject for popular fiction and scholarly works alike, and new translations and versions of the myths are increasingly at odds with the traditional understanding. So heckin' what. This is a great book. Reading this will give you more of an understanding to jump from than a spicy novel, no matter where you take it later.
I also like that this is not just the classic Greek myths...this is an overview of Charlemagne, Norse, Welsh and Arthurian legend as well, with a smattering of the Far East Hindu and Buddhist stories as well. Basically, anything that would have come up in Victorian and earlier literary endeavors. It is three volumes in one!
Now obviously, mythology has undergone a bit of a reemergence as the new hot subject for popular fiction and scholarly works alike, and new translations and versions of the myths are increasingly at odds with the traditional understanding. So heckin' what. This is a great book. Reading this will give you more of an understanding to jump from than a spicy novel, no matter where you take it later.