mythopoetry.com Book Reviews

Depth Review Of Books In Myth, Poetry, Literature, Education & Other Genres

In literary contexts, mythopoetics refers to the reprocessing of older material. The late mythologist, Joseph Campbell felt that much "mythology" is not archetypal, but is stereotypical, i.e., that it is one-sided, and that it is a conservative statement in the sense that it re-inscribes the status quo ideology of the dominant myths of a culture (as in white, Christian, patriarchial, northern Euro-American, classicism, etc..)

"Mythopoieses," on the other hand, re-appropriates, re-tells, re-vises the old stories, ironically with new creative and revolutionary twists, so that openings can be made for new meanings to appear.

The poetic understanding here reveals that stories or myths must continually be re-told (as opposed to being repeated), poieses rather than mimesis, for the sake of oppressed (social kinds) and repressed (psychological kinds) of meanings. Such re-telling alerts folk to shadow sides, nuances and overtones. Furthermore, the sense for the value to a culture of mythopoetic expression is by no means in accord. Roland Barthes will say that, because mythology authorizes the dominant ideology, it should be thrown out (this also means, not studied.)

Harry Slochower, who first uses the term in Mythopoesis: Mythic Forms In Literary Classics [1970] doesn't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, precisely because it is dangerous! This is also Campbell's point about Hitler's use of the Grimm Brothers. Slochower, like Campbell, suggests mythology, through the techne of the artist, must be studied and must be revised against its own narrowness. Since this is Guggenbuhl-Craig's point, it seems the poet-artist plays an important role in striking a depth tone of metaphor shaping any culture and genuine cultural renewal. The poetry book reviews and other reviews published to mythopoetry.com honor such archetypal, depth perspective and examine and review newly released publications in depth perspectives from a mythopoetic point of view.* If you wish to reprint any or part of one or more of these reviews, please contact this site for copyright stipulations.

* This view of the various postions regarding mythopoetic perspectives is developed from a series of e-mail correspondences with Dr. David L. Miller.

BOOK REVIEWS

reviewer~Stephanie Pope, published 21September, 2013
Reclaiming a Poetics Of Myth In A (w)Rite Of Passage

reviewer~Amitabh Mitra, published 14 February, 2013
Stuck On 1/Forty by Pritish Nandy

reviewer ~Laura Shamas, publishing August 8, 2012
Tragic Beauty by Arlene Landau


The Winds of Ilion by Stephen Joyce
reviewer ~Stephanie Pope
publishing to Mythopoetry Scholar volume 3 January 2, 2012



An Abstract Waltz: A Metaphorical Walk Through Life In The Abstract
by Jacob Erin-Cilberto reviewer: ~Stephanie Pope, reviewed March 7, 2011


The Wounded Researcher: Research With Soul In Mind
-Robert Romanyshyn reviewer ~Dennis Patrick Slattery


The Beauty Between Words by Dennis Patrick Slattery and Chris Paris
reviewer: ~Elizabeth Terzian, review published January 6, 2011.


Sweet & Sour: For The Freed Spirit by Elizabeth Terzian
reviewer: Stephanie Pope reviewed September 1, 2010


Reimagining Education: Essays on Reviving the Soul of Learning
Eds. Dennis patrick Slattery and Jennifer Leigh Selig
reviewer: Stephanie Pope reviewed September 1, 2009


Songs of Silence by Patricia Ann Doneson
reviewer: Stephanie Pope ( published 12-01-08)


Silence by Robert Sardello & Cheryl Sanders-Sardello
reviewer: Dennis Patrick Slattery


The Alchemy of Possibility by Carolyn Mary Kleefeld
reviewer: stephanie pope


Myth & Medium by Dave Alber
reviewer Maggie Macary




Poetry Books

published 9-15-11 Dancing Backwards In Texas
by Connie Lane Williams reviewer: ~Dennis Patrick Slattery

published 9-15-11 Rhapsody For Lessons Learned Or Remembered
by Georgia Ann Banks-Martin reviewer: ~Connie Lane Williams


Twisted Sky by Dennis Patrick Slattery
reviewer: ~Connie Lane Williams

Twisted Sky by Dennis Patrick Slattery
reviewer: ~Cheryl Snell

Looking For Lilith by Connie Williams
reviewer: ~Stephanie Pope

Like A Woman Falling by Stephanie Pope
reviewer: ~Sandy McKinney

Body Grief by Sandy McKinney
reviewer: ~Stephanie Pope

Affixed To Heartbeat by Joseph Olsen
reviewer: ~Stephanie Pope

Just Below The WaterLine by Dennis Patrick Slattery
reviewer: ~Stephanie Pope

The Blue Museum by Phil Cousineau
reviewer: ~Stephanie Pope

secret book of god by Richard Lance Williams
reviewer: ~Connie Lane Williams