Product Description

Drawing from history, movies, pop culture, and his own life experience, film-maker and writer Phil Cousineau shows how ancient myths continue to affect and shape our contemporary lives. Each chapter moves from the ancient to the modern, from the once, to the now, to the future. As well as retellings of classical myths: Sisyphus, Odysseus, and Kronos, there are new accounts of contemporary myths of time, cities, and vampires.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #715809 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 342 pages

Customer Reviews

A thoughtful and eruditely written account
Once And Future Myths: The Power Of Ancient Stories In Our Lives by Phil Cousineau is an absorbing treatise on the importance of myths - whether as ancient legends, history, or the tales repeated in modern movies and popular culture. These timeless stories reflect and shape the lives of those who tell and enjoy them, and striving to understand them is a path to better examining and understanding oneself. A thoughtful and eruditely written account, Once And Future Myths is especially recommended reading for students of mythology, personal growth, and the universality of the human condition.

What myths do we live by?
Ever since Bill Moyers interviewed Joseph Campbell on PBS, the subject of myth has become far more popular, with a seemingly endless stream of books on the subject. Sadly, a lot of them have been superficial & New Age-y in the worst way, basically cheerful self-help dressed up in cloth-of-gold cultural couture. So you might be inclined to pass this one by as just more of the same.

Don't.

Phil Cousineau has written a fine, insightful book on the real & lasting value of myth, particularly the ways in which it plays itself out in our culture & our lives. He does so by choosing to focus on a few specifics, rather than simply using grand, sweeping examples that sound impressive but don't carry much lasting value.

So we have just 6 chapters, dense without being stuffy or impenetrable, with titles such as "The Myth of the Creative Struggle" (which delves into the myth of Sisyphus & its presence in everyday life), and "The Mythic Power of Mentorship" (which delves into the need for wise, encouraging teachers drawn from both life & culture).

In each chapter, Cousineau begins with an autobiographical example, which then leads into wider cultural territory. Importantly, while he conveys the positive power of the myth, he doesn't stint on the hard work it may demand of the individual. There's no "just live the myth & be a huge success" snake oil here!

For those readers in search of substance, rather than bland & empty homilies, you'll find it in these pages. Cousineau gives you much to think about, and he'll make you look at your life with refreshed vision. Highly recommended!

exactly what i wanted
this was exactly what we needed for a course my son iss taking in college it was in great condition it did take a while to recieve it but we are satisfied with the results