Bulfinch's Mythology, by Thomas Bulfinch
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Bulfinch's Mythology, by Thomas Bulfinch
Free Ebook Bulfinch's Mythology, by Thomas Bulfinch
Skyros Publishing is dedicated to reproducing the finest books ever written and letting readers of all ages experience a classic for the first time or revisit a past favorite.Thomas Bulfinch was a 19th century American author best known for his collection of some of history’s most famous mythological tales.
Bulfinch's Mythology, by Thomas Bulfinch- Amazon Sales Rank: #640697 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-11-24
- Released on: 2015-11-24
- Format: Kindle eBook
About the Author Thomas Bulfinch was an American writer born in Newton, MA. Stephanie L. Budin earned her Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Camden, NJ.
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From Charles Martin's Introduction to Bulfinch's Mythology
In his Preface, Bulfinch firmly sets his work within the emerging American genre of self-improvement: Other kinds of knowledge may “enlarge our possessions or . . . raise our station in society,” and there are, of course, books that will tell us how to get rich quickly and how to behave when we have amassed our pile. But, perhaps because he had seen how fortunes may disappear overnight, never to be recovered, Bulfinch puts his faith in the kind of knowledge that can make us “happier and better.” This knowledge is the knowledge of literature, but we cannot understand the literature of our time without first understanding the mythology that literature so often alludes to.
How is this knowledge to be attained? Bulfinch is very certain about his audience. It does not consist of members of his own class, the privileged few who have had the benefits of a classical education and would have acquired such knowledge already or at least have the leisure and the means to acquire it. His audience has never gone with Homer to Troy; the Trojan War is new to them; and they want to know how the story comes out in the end: “Our readers will be anxious to know the fate of Helen, the fair but guilty occasion of so much slaughter.” As Bulfinch must have known, Helen is the creation of the poets who wrote about her, and different poets provided her with different fates. Americans love happy endings, so Bulfinch sees her reconciled at last with the husband she abandoned.
Bulfinch’s audience consists of those with whom he had come in contact during his long and unsuccessful career as a merchant, the self-made men and their wives, who do not want to have to choke down “only the dry facts without any of the charm of the original narrative.” They want the poetry, too, and they don’t have a whole lot of time to spend on getting it.
They want to be sure that this knowledge may be let into the parlors of their homes without creating any sort of offense “to pure taste and good morals.” Here a word must be said about Bulfinch’s prudery: His subservience to his society’s desire to pass over these offenses in silence resulted in a number of significant omissions. It is hard to see how it could be otherwise: The proper Bostonian of Bulfinch’s day, referring to a bull as Mr. Cow, would scarcely have known what to make of Queen Phaedra’s passion for the prize bull in her husband’s herd.
Bulfinch’s readers also want the assurance that this knowledge, so different from their daily experience, is worth having: “To devote study to a species of learning which relates wholly to false marvels and obsolete faiths is not to be expected of the general reader in a practical age like this. The time even of the young is claimed by so many sciences of facts and things that little can be set for spare treatises on a science of mere fancy.” It is not only the time but the energy as well. Bulfinch can sympathize with the tired businessman at the end of his long day in the office: “Thus we hope to teach mythology not as a study, but as a relaxation from study.”
This knowledge, easily acquired and promoting not only happiness but virtue as well, will allow the less privileged members of a restlessly mobile society access to the kind of lore that is the patrimony of the privileged. It is not, Bulfinch states explicitly, “for the learned, nor for the theologian, nor for the philosopher, but for the reader of English literature, of either sex, who wishes to comprehend the allusions so frequently made by public speakers, lecturers, essayists, and poets, and those which occur in polite conversation.” It is a little bit easier than it ought to be to mock Bulfinch’s tone here, but we would be seriously underestimating Bulfinch if we were to regard him as an elitist: His sentiments are as unabashed in their democratic impulse as those of Walt Whitman, in his preface to Leaves of Grass. Bulfinch wishes everyone to have access to the cultural tokens heretofore the possession of the few.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Beautiful and affordable edition of Bulfinch's Mythology By Stuart Dunn I've read a lot of mythology and legends in my 30+ years on Earth. I've read D'aulaire's illustrated classics and Edith Hamilton. It doesn't matter if it's Greek, Roman, or even Norse. I find all of it interesting and fascinating. In fact, my wife is the same way. We hope to pass on this love of mythology to our son, so we are buying him mythology books at an early age, so that when he is old enough to appreciate them, they'll be ready and waiting for him. One book we recently added to our collection was Bulfinch's Mythology.Bulfinch's Mythology is a gorgeous leather edition, with the face of Medusa on the cover. The pages have gilded edges and there is a ribbon bookmark to mark your place. The book contains all three of the original titles, "The Age of Fable," "The Age of Chivalry," and "The Legends of Charlemagne." "The Age of Fable" not only includes Greek and Roman mythology, but brief mentions of Eastern mythology, Norse mythology, and the Druids. "The Age of Chivalry" begins with the legend of King Arthur and his knights, leads into Mabinogen (early British prose), and concludes with the likes of Beowulf and Robin Hood. Lastly, "The Legends of Charlemagne" discusses the paladins of Charlemagne.I skimmed through the parts on mythology and Arthur, as I am very well-versed in those subjects, so for me, the parts on Charlemagne were the best. The legends surrounding him and his paladins were a refreshing read. Were they chock full of history? No, but I didn't expect them to be. They were legends that made for fanciful tales and were a delightful read. The edition of this book was a delight to read and would make a good textbook for the high school classroom or homeschooling parent. So far, I have reviewed two books from the Canterbury Classics and each have been impressive in their quality. Highly recommended.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. An Excellent Guide to Ancient Myths By RJ Stokely This edition of Bulfinch's Mythology, published by Barnes and Noble is an excellent copy. First the basics - it is a sturdy leatherbound edition with gold leaf pages and a ribbon book marker. The font is a pretty good size (I think about pt 10), making it fairly easy to read. There are also several great classical illustrations throughout the book of the various myths and stories. This is perfect for anyone interested in classical mythology or just looking for a good story. Bulfinch's Mythology covers the Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian myths among others. The book also tells the stories of the Trojan War, Beowulf, King Arthur, Robin Hood, and many others. It is divided into three seperate sections: the Age of Fable, the Age of Chivalry, and the Legends of Charlemagne. This covers a wide swath of mythology to say the least. By reading it you will see where and how writers like Lewis, Tolkien, Scott, Shakespeare, and Milton were inspired. If you enjoyed this I would also recommend The Illiad and the Oddyssey by Homer (also Barne and Noble leatherbound edition) and Edith Hamilton's Mythology.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Beats other versions By todd This is better than any version out there. and it feels amazing in the hands with it richly decorated leather fit for a king !
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