Reviews

With this book, Ivan Strenski provides a compelling argument for a performative theory of myth. In building his account of what it is that myths do, Strenski brings together his wide-ranging knowledge of the history of the study of myth (debunking a few historiographical myths en passant), epistemological dexterity, and well-chosen case studies that coalesce into a vibrant call for a critical, reflexive, and pragmatic rethinking of one of the central, and indeed problematic, concepts in the study of religion. Strenski has outdone himself.
Nicolas Meylan, Maître d’enseignement et de recherche, Faculté de théologie et de sciences des religions, Université de Lausanne

Myths are particularly fascinating objects, resisting as they do any simple, unambiguous definition. This explains why their study is so fascinating, and why they have given rise to so many opposing theories since the mid-nineteenth century. In fact, the study of these mythological theories alone sums up a large part of our intellectual history. The help of pilots is therefore indispensable in guiding us through this jungle of theories and concepts.
Ivan Strenski, with his immense culture and incomparable analytical mind, is undoubtedly one of them.

Daniel Dubuisson, Research Director emeritus, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris