The Myth of the Birth of the Hero: A Psychological Exploration of MythJHU Press, 2015 M11 1 - 200 pages First published in German in 1909, Otto Rank's original The Myth of the Birth of the Hero offered psychoanalytical interpretations of mythological stories as a means of understanding the human psyche. Like his mentor Sigmund Freud, Rank compared the myths of such figures as Oedipus, Moses, and Sargon with common dreams, seeing in both a symbolic fulfillment of repressed desire. In a new edition published thirteen years after the original, Rank doubled the size of his seminal work, incorporating new discoveries in psychoanalysis, mythology, and ethnology. This expanded and updated edition has been eloquently translated by Gregory C. Richter and E. James Lieberman and includes an introductory essay by Robert A. Segal as well as Otto Rank's 1914 essay "The Play in Hamlet." |
From inside the book
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... child and sacrifice him only to save the father, they nevertheless do sacrifice him. The hero's revenge, if the parricide is even committed knowingly, is, then, understandable: who would not consider killing one's would-be killer ...
... children, in a sense, although otherwise appearing grown up” (Rank 1914,63). Because no mere child can overpower his father, the mythmaker imagines being old enough to do so. In short, the myth expresses not the Freudian goal of the ...
... child, feelings toward the mother are ambivalent. Like the father for Freud, the mother for Rank is feared as well as loved. Rankian therapy seeks to reestablish the original bond, though now with the therapist. The therapist is not a ...
... children remain dependent on their parents and afraid of the world. Their would-be independence stirs anxiety. More, the pristine union with the mother makes the child empathize with her feelings of loss and rejection, thereby stirring ...
... child draws between his present parents and other adults but also to the neglect that the child feels from his parents: Opportunities arise only too frequently when the child is neglected, or at least feels himself neglected, when he ...
Contents
vii | |
Translators Introduction | xxxix |
Preface to the First Edition | xlv |
Preface to the Second Edition | xlvii |
1 Introduction | 1 |
2 The Cycle of Myths | 9 |
3 The Interpretation of the Myths | 47 |
Toward an Analysis and Dynamic Understanding of the Work | 93 |
Notes | 105 |
References | 129 |
Index | 143 |
Other editions - View all
The Myth of the Birth of the Hero: A Psychological Exploration of Myth Otto Rank Limited preview - 2004 |
The Myth of the Birth of the Hero: A Psychological Exploration of Myth Otto Rank Limited preview - 2015 |
The Myth of the Birth of the Hero: A Psychological Exploration of Myth Otto Rank Limited preview - 2004 |