Në veprën "Miti dhe realiteti", Eliade merr në studim ato shoqëri në të cilat miti luan ende rolin kryesor në formimin e tipareve kulturore themelore të shoqërisë: marrëdhënien e mitit me botëkuptimin, me konceptimin e historisë, kohës, me përvojën njerëzore në përgjithësi.

Eliade emphasizes the notion of sacred time where myths are imagined in the past (cosmology) and eschatological myths are imagined in an apocalyptic future. I do not think modern man has changed all that much though and any division he tries to make between "primitive" cultures and so-called secular moderns is superficial. Being published during the cold war Eliade shows how myth still exists in "secular" narratives like Marx' "Just Man" (the same archetype in the Robin Hood theme), his comments on end-of-the-world flood myths in Chapter IV are very applicable to modern environmental flood/climate prophecies that are thought of as Truth by the eco-prophets too. This book should be read along side his "Sacred and Profane" and Eliade is a nice compliment to Campbell and von Franz as well. Don't think this is merely a book discussing archaic minds and fanciful stories, myth is alive and well today. ( )

Not what I was expecting. Very scholarly type writing but doesn't really break down the myths and compare them. Doesn't even look at major modern religious myths. Only wants to look at myths in tribes that until very recently have not been influenced by outside cultures. I can see where it is coming from as a study but it would be far more interesting if the author wasn't treating myths as something only the "natives" recite, believe and act on. ( )

While Eliade has some interesting insights at times - relating creation myths to creativity, for instance - his work suffers from a lack of independent research and a clear bias towards monotheistic, masculine deities. I was prepared to enjoy this book, knowing that Eliade has influenced some interesting thinkers, but had a hard time getting past undocumented assertions about "primitive" cultures and sprinklings of fallacious thought throughout, especially when the fallacies all, inevitably, supported monotheistic views. ( )