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Bezig met laden... Mythomania: Tales of Our Times, from Apple to Isis (2016)door Peter Conrad
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Feels like it was randomly stitched together with bits and pieces of Greek myths. ( ) This book is a series of ramblings looking for a theme under an umbrella of Barthian criticism (Roland Barthes, author of Mythologies [1957]). Conrad is infatuated with Hollywood and Southern California and who can blame him for that? This was published in 2016, so it seems relatively recent while reading even now. Basically the book argues that nothing is objectively true, myths function in place of truths, and myths are therefore recycled or replaced depending on societal need. Conrad’s title focuses on myths but he actually means to imply all reality is relative and moral categories are always biased at their inception. So the first thing he does is attack sceptic GK Chesterton (Roman Catholic convert) on mythology. Conrad asserts that Chesterton used myth to critique (modern) history itself. Conrad means that Chesterton regretted the eroding of Christian myths and their replacement with newer amoral daydreams. Chesterton is a straw-man for Catholicism's moral absolutes. He gives the example of New York City’s Times Square as a new Garden of Eden. This Times Square reference is Chesterton’s example. Chesterton says that the potential beauty of Times Square is wasted on colorfully lit product advertisements. Conrad concludes that, “Myth, whenever it reappears, is evidence of compulsions that remain incurable.” Myths, for Conrad, are always sickening but essential to humanity per se. This interpretation of human male and female existence is not flattering at all but existentialist and depressing at its core. By criticizing Chesterton, at the outset of the book Conrad can both disregard Christianity and Catholicism (implicitly excluding Judaism as well) since the mythmaking nature of this religion continues without replacement. He ends by mentioning that Obama tried to use structuralism (his mother was an anthropologist) and cultural theory (the absence of moral absolutes) to create a new America apart from 200 years of common knowledge and which Hillary tried to continue in her own candidacy. I was so very happy to have finished this book of essays, and the sooner the better. This is an interesting collection of essays that examine various aspects of modern culture, from Apple Computer's apple logo, to neon lights, to the Kardashians, analyzing how they echo and reproduce ancient myths that lie at the heart of all human thought and experience and help us explain our world. Conrad brings rigorous intellectual investigation to the obscurest cultural phenomena, such as a chicken restaurant chain. He is following in the footsteps of French philosopher Roland Barthes, who himself analyzed modern culture in a similar vein a half century ago and there are many references to Barthes here. The short essays are interesting to read. They bring a philosophical angle to our everyday occurrences and objects which we don't pay all that much attention to. Some readers may be put off by his investing the symbols of popular culture with such significance (such as imbuing Apple's apple with the weight of the original apple in the Garden of Eden story). But if you want to think more deeply about everyday aspects of our world, this is a great read. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Weaves ancient myth into modern celebrity and consumerist culture to expose the absurdity and occasional insanity of twenty-first-century society, economy, and politics Despite a proclaimed respect for scientific reason, humans are still as intrigued by myth as their remote ancestors. Laptops and smartphones are sold under a logo that invokes the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden; skimpily clad classical nymphs cavort in TV reality shows; Narcissus makes a comeback whenever we snap a selfie. Mythical creatures such as handsome vampires abound in best-selling novels. Myth has also invaded the political realm, now that terrorists brandish black flags and recite theological mantras as they martyr themselves. In twenty-seven self-contained entries, Conrad illuminates in his own remarkable way subjects from the British Queen to the Kardashians, via Banksy, vaping, and the inception of the Large Hadron Collider. In Judge Judy, he shows a matronly Roman goddess dispensing justice with a fly swatter. In the metamorphosis of Caitlyn Jenner from Olympic athlete and paterfamilias into idealized female form, he finds parallels to the transformations of the residents of Mount Olympus. Myths used to tell us where we came from. Now, alarmed but also elated by the pace of change in our society, we need them to tell us where we are going. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)306.09Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Culture and Institutions Biography And HistoryLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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