The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Oxford World's Classics) - Softcover

Frazer, Sir James George

4.03

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9780192835413: The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Oxford World's Classics)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192835416 ISBN 13: 9780192835413

Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks, 1998

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A classic study of the beliefs and institutions of mankind, and the progress through magic and religion to scientific thought, The Golden Bough has a unique status in modern anthropology and literature. First published in 1890, The Golden Bough was eventually issued in a twelve-volume edition (1906-15) which was abridged in 1922 by the author and his wife. That abridgement has never been reconsidered for a modern audience. In it some of the more controversial passages were dropped, including Frazer's daring speculations on the Crucifixion of Christ. For the first time this one-volume edition restores Frazer's bolder theories and sets them within the framework of a valuable introduction and notes. A seminal work of modern anthropolgy, The Golden Bough also influenced many twentieth-century writers, including D H Lawrence, T S Eliot, and Wyndham Lewis. Its discussion of magical types, the sacrificial killing of kings, the dying god, and the scapegoat is given fresh pertinence in this new edition.

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Review:

'In the condensed volume which lies before us we can grasp the masterly plan of the whole work; the mind is fascinated by the author's skill as a constructive thinker and a framer of concepts, and also as a compiler of picturesque detail.' - Spectator

'...equally remarkable for its vast assembly of facts and its unusual charm of presentation. Few men of such learning have written more attractively.' - George Sampson, Concise Cambridge History of English Literature

'A classic; theoretically outmoded, but still informative, stimulating and highly readable.' - Maurice Freedman and I. Schapera, Reader's Guide

About the Author:

SIR JAMES GEORGE FRAZER (1854-1941) was one of the arly pioneers in the sociological study of religion. He began his career as a classicist but it is for his work in social anthropology that he is best remembered. His most famous work, The Golden Bough first appeared in 1890 in a two-volume edition but was twice revised and expanded, the third edition appearing in twelve volumes in 1911-15. Frazer's other works include Psyche's Task, Totemism and Exogamy, The Belief in Immortality and The Worship of the Dead and Folklore in the Old Testament.

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