The myth of the eternal return : or, Cosmos and history

by Mircea Eliade

Book, 1954

Status

Available

Call number

ML

Call number

ML

Publication

[Princeton, N.J.] : Princeton University Press, 1971, c1954.

Original publication date

1949 (original French)
1954 (English: Trask)

Physical description

xv, 195 p.; 22 cm

Local notes

First published in English in 1954, this founding work of the history of religions secured the North American reputation of the Romanian émigré-scholar Mircea Eliade. Making reference to an astonishing number of cultures and drawing on scholarship published in no fewer than half a dozen European languages, The Myth of the Eternal Return illuminates the religious beliefs and rituals of a wide variety of archaic religious cultures. While acknowledging that a return to their practices is impossible, Eliade passionately insists on the value of understanding their views to enrich the contemporary imagination of what it is to be human. This book includes an introduction from Jonathan Z. Smith that provides essential context and encourages readers to engage in an informed way with this classic text.

User reviews

LibraryThing member jwhenderson
Seminal work on the the history of religions and the intersection with philosophy and anthropology. One the most erudite thinkers that I have encountered.
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