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A review by ironwoodwitch
Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth and Art by Lewis Hyde
4.0
This book took me a rather long time to read - partially because I started driving to work and lost my train reading time, and partially because it was particularly chewy!
Hyde brings together quite a collection of thoughts, stories and other information about Trickster Gods, their stories and their role in society and the shaping of our world. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of modern people and how they at times took on the Trickster archetype to change their world. The most notable example, for me, were not the artists like Duchamp, but Frederick Douglas, who I would never have thought to include as a trickster myself. I have not yet read his work, but plan on picking up his autobiography in the future.
I particularly enjoyed that Hyde discussed myths and tricksters from around the world, and did not focus solely on Classical myths. I also enjoyed the appendix which talked about the lack of female tricksters and his discussions on why this might be.
Overall, I found it a very informative and enjoyable read. This book does presupposed a familiarity with many of the Trickster myths and themes; the only full retelling included was the Homeric Hymn to Hermes. However, I have a feeling that this book is generally aimed at those who already have some familiarity with cross-cultural mythology.
Hyde brings together quite a collection of thoughts, stories and other information about Trickster Gods, their stories and their role in society and the shaping of our world. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of modern people and how they at times took on the Trickster archetype to change their world. The most notable example, for me, were not the artists like Duchamp, but Frederick Douglas, who I would never have thought to include as a trickster myself. I have not yet read his work, but plan on picking up his autobiography in the future.
I particularly enjoyed that Hyde discussed myths and tricksters from around the world, and did not focus solely on Classical myths. I also enjoyed the appendix which talked about the lack of female tricksters and his discussions on why this might be.
Overall, I found it a very informative and enjoyable read. This book does presupposed a familiarity with many of the Trickster myths and themes; the only full retelling included was the Homeric Hymn to Hermes. However, I have a feeling that this book is generally aimed at those who already have some familiarity with cross-cultural mythology.