Overview

In Sex in the World of Myth, David Leeming argues that sex is as important in myths as it is in our lives. Myths are our cultural dreams, and sex is pervasive in all mythologies because it has obsessed and confused us like nothing else - what's more, sexual myths, like all myths, can serve many purposes. The reproductive acts of the ancient Greek goddess Gaia perhaps reflect a pre-Olympian matriarchal social system. The tales of the unbridled sexual deeds of the Polynesian Maui, and many others, speak to a natural fascination with the power and mystery of sexual drives.  Leeming demonstrates how even when such myths are meant to elicit laughter or titillation, the participation in them of sacred heroes and deities means they are in some sense religious - partial answers to the nature of existence in general, and human sexuality in particular.

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9781780239774

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Reviews

Sex in the World of Myth is destined to become a classic in its field, as searching and humane as the work of Joseph Campbell and so beautiful in its scholarship. Leeming is not merely learned but emotionally profound. Critically, he understands that lack of respect for the female is the great wound at the heart of human sexuality, and this book serves as a starting point to heal it. --Antonella Gambotto-Burke Australian

The discussion of the historical diversity of attitudes toward gender and sexuality as revealed in myth is timely, and the range of cultures Leeming approaches is refreshingly wide. --Choice Sex in the World of Myth is destined to become a classic in its field, as searching and humane as the work of Joseph Campbell and so beautiful in its scholarship. Leeming is not merely learned but emotionally profound. Critically, he understands that lack of respect for the female is the great wound at the heart of human sexuality, and this book serves as a starting point to heal it. --Antonella Gambotto-Burke Australian

The discussion of the historical diversity of attitudes toward gender and sexuality as revealed in myth is timely, and the range of cultures Leeming approaches is refreshingly wide. -- Choice This is a highly recommended, non-judgemental survey of how throughout time we have imagined the creation of Earth and its life in terms of our own procreation. -- Fortean Times Sex in the World of Myth is destined to become a classic in its field, as searching and humane as the work of Joseph Campbell and so beautiful in its scholarship. Leeming is not merely learned but emotionally profound. Critically, he understands that lack of respect for the female is the great wound at the heart of human sexuality, and this book serves as a starting point to heal it. --Antonella Gambotto-Burke Australian Even for people who know a lot about world culture, there is bound to be something new here, and many readers will find a great deal that is informative. . . . This is an entertaining and interesting read that works well for browsing. -- Metapsychology

The discussion of the historical diversity of attitudes toward gender and sexuality as revealed in myth is timely, and the range of cultures Leeming approaches is refreshingly wide. --Antonella Gambotto-Burke Choice Sex in the World of Myth is destined to become a classic in its field, as searching and humane as the work of Joseph Campbell and so beautiful in its scholarship. Leeming is not merely learned but emotionally profound. Critically, he understands that lack of respect for the female is the great wound at the heart of human sexuality, and this book serves as a starting point to heal it. --Antonella Gambotto-Burke Australian

Author Information

David Leeming is Emeritus Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Connecticut. He is the co-author of Gods, Heroes, and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain (2001) and author of numerous books on mythology, including Myth: A Biography of Belief (2002), The Oxford Companion to World Mythology (2005) and Medusa: In the Mirror of Time (Reaktion, 2013).

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