Re: Anthropology

From: TTrotsky_at_aol.com
Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 17:13:44 EDT


David Weihe:

<< More seriously, a problem with using other writers than Campbell is that,
since their PR hasn't been as successful as his, fewer of us non-anthropologists have read them, or even read the Cliff's Notes version of them. Thus, we won't know enough to recognize when you who do know them (or think that you do, at least) are full of it.>>

      I'm not so sure about this. I found no difficulty at all getting quite a few bits of information on Levi-Strauss and his theories when David Cake brought it up. I have been able to find absolutely squat about Campbell, even in texts specifically about mythology. Now, OK, so I *have* heard of him and have a rough idea what he was on about, but that's really only because he gets mentioned in Gloranthan discussions so much. I'm sure a more thorough search would turn something up but my conclusion so far is that Levi-Strauss is by far the more famous of the two (which admittedly may not be saying much) and is probably at least *as* familiar to those with an interest in mythology (which, again, probably isn't saying much).  

<< If you do intend to use them, don't use non-Campbellian terms or arguments
without extensive discussion in ordinary English of what you mean, >>

     And I'd suggest doing exactly the same when using Campbellian terms, which I suspect are equally obscure to many readers.

Forward the glorious Red Army!

     Trotsky


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