A World Of Their Own Making: Myth, Ritual, And The Quest For Family Values

John Gillis

ISBN 10: 0465054145 / ISBN 13: 9780465054145

Published by Basic Books, 1996

Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0465054145I3N00

Synopsis:

Our whole society may be obsessed with "family values," but, as historian John Gillis points out in this entertaining and eye-opening narrative, most of our images of "home sweet home" are of very recent vintage. In fact, our most cherished family rituals (Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, white weddings, reunions, Father's Day, and Mother's Day) didn't even exist until the Victorian era.
A World of Their Own Making questions our idealized notion of "The Family," a mind-set in which myth and symbol still hold sway. As the families we live with become more fragile, the symbolic families we live by become more powerful. Yet it is only by accepting the notion that our rituals, myths, and images must be open to perpetual revision that we can satisfy our human needs and changing circumstances. Our families are worlds of our own making. By using the past to throw light on the present, Gillis empowers us to enjoy and accept responsibility for our own creations.

About the Author: John R. Gillis is a professor of history at Rutgers University.

Bibliographic Details

Title: A World Of Their Own Making: Myth, Ritual, ...
Publisher: Basic Books
Publication Date: 1996
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket