Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art

Trickster Makes This World solidifies Lewis Hyde's reputation as, in Robert Bly's words, "the most subtle, thorough, and brilliant mythologist we now have." In it, Hyde now brings to life the playful and disruptive side of human imagination as it is embodied in trickster mythology. He first revisits the old stories--Hermes in Greece, Eshu in West Africa, Krishna in India, Coyote in North America, among others--and then holds them up against the life and work of more recent creators: Picasso, Duchamp, Ginsberg, John Cage, and Frederick Douglass. Authoritative in its scholarship, loose-limbed in its style, Trickster Makes This World ranks among the great works of modern cultural criticism.

Masterful non-fiction writing: A brilliantly written, funny and moving book--filled with substantial scholarship and honest about its own stakes. To tell you the truth, I was moved to write this review by the two reviews below, both of which fall pretty wide of the mark. First, this is an amazingly well-written book, and that goes for both Hyde's prose style and his winding structure. His reflections of his own project do not upstage the subject matter but rather deepen and situate it in "time-haunted history." I wonder why anyone would expect or want a book about tricksters to be linear and transparent. By this I don't mean to suggest that Hyde is exactly "performing" the trickster in his writing. He announces his approach perfectly show more well: Saturn dreams of Mercury. I suspect that this book will frustrate all species of lazy reader because it asks for a sustained, continuous, and thorough reading. All the chapters are rewarding individually, but they are best read sequentially. If you want to be able to look at a table of contents and pick one or two chapters by topic, find a doctoral thesis, or a utilitarian academic monograph. show less

Objectively the book is an interesting look into the different trickster mythologies, how they interconnect, and the possible overarching themes of them all. However, I personally found the information to be presented in a jumbled form and it was hard to follow. At certain parts, I was left wondering what this part had to do with anything else, and sometimes found myself battling through to actually get to the end.

If you like reading about myths and legends or you're a anthropology lover this is a really good read. One might say the author stretches his Trickster analysis when examining actual artists, but I think it's a technique that's excellent for prompting one to really start looking at the myths and the functions they serve in both our cultures and other cultures. As you read the book you can feel the inquisitiveness of the author as well as a sense of play. He's not saying Fredrick Douglass is a trickster, but he does apply some lessons learned from looking at how people react to Tricksters and how the Trickster reacts to himself to shed some light on Douglass actions.

I read most of the book straight through and took a little longer show more reading the appendixes and re-reading parts of the book. A good read and I"m hoping to track down more of the author's work. show less

I think I wanted a book of trickster myths without interpretation. His editorials got on my nerves, but I suspect it was my mood, not his fault.

I think I wanted a book of trickster myths without interpretation. His editorials got on my nerves, but I suspect it was my mood, not his fault.

mythology