The Presence of Myth
The Presence of Myth is a nonfiction book written by Leszek Kolakowski and translated from Polish into English by Adam Czerniawski. In this book, Kolakowski argues for the relevance and importance of myth as an adjunct to our modern way of life. He cautions against being too skeptical and too rational in modern societies because we would lose connections and values intrinsic to human beings. Kolakowski is also not advocating for myths to have preeminence in our modern day societies.[1][2][3][4]
Publishing history
[edit]The book was originally published by Instytut Literacki in the author's native language, Polish, in 1972 under the title Obecność mitu. It was then first published in English by the University of Chicago Press in 1989 having been translated by Adam Czerniawski. It was published again in 2001 by the University of Chicago Press.[5] According to the "Preface to the English Edition," the book was also published in German translation in 1972 by Piper Verlag.[6]
Book organization
[edit]This book has a "Preface to the English Edition" written by one of the translators, and then a "Preface" written by the author but translated into English. The book is then divided into eleven chapters followed by an "Index of Names". The chapters are as follows: [7]
- Preliminary Distinctions
- Myth within the Epistemological Inquiry
- Myth in the Realm of Values
- Myth in Logic
- THe Mythical Sense of Love
- Myth, Existence, Freedom
- Myth and the Contingency of Nature
- The Phenomenon of the World’s Indifference
- Myth in the Culture of Analgesics
- The Permanence and Fragility of Myth
- Conclusion
References
[edit]- ^ Jacobs, Alan (2017). "Wokeness and Myth on Campus". The New Atlantis (53): 33–44. JSTOR 44392702.
- ^ Janowski, Zbigniew (1989). "Reviewed work: The Presence of Myth, Leszek Kolakowski, Adam Czerniawski". The Review of Metaphysics. 43 (2): 408–409. JSTOR 20128888.
- ^ De Visscher, J. (1991). "Reviewed work: The Presence of Myth, Leszek Kolakowski, A. Czerniawski". Tijdschrift voor Filosofie. 53 (1): 168–169. JSTOR 40888010.
- ^ Harries, Karsten (January 14, 1990). "Our Analgesic Culture". The New York Times. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ The publication history can be found on WorldCat and the current University of Chicago Press web page.
- ^ Kolakowski, Leszek (July 20, 1988). Preface to the English Edition. ISBN 978-0-226-22225-7. The Presence of Myth.
- ^ "Table of Contents". The Presence of Myth. University of Chicago Press. November 2001. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- "The Presence of Myth" By Leszek Kołakowski. Overview. Video. YouTube. 6 minutes.
Further reading
[edit]- Clark, J. C. D. (2012). "Secularization and Modernization: The Failure of A 'Grand Narrative'". The Historical Journal. 55 (1): 161–194. doi:10.1017/S0018246X11000586. JSTOR 41349650.