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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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An in-depth look at the mythology behind were-wolves. "A pleasant companion" to previous readings on the topic by Montague Summers. Imagine my surprise when - the entire book - not a single mention is made of that illustrious sleuth of the right-minded church!
Anyways, on it's own merits, brilliantly researched, approaching the myths of lycanthropy through classical writings, psychiatry, cave art, old trial records, etc, etc. All in all an enjoyable and informative read, by a slightly more discerning mind.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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A combination of shitty internet and craptastic laptop have got be back into reading chapter books.
Although - to digress for a moment - how in the hell is 2GB RAM not enough memory to surf the net? I mean, 10 years ago this would have been more than enough. Now, I have to go slow, 1 tab at a time, wait for the page to load, the trifling dopamine rewards of tidbits of information have pretty much dropped to nothing.
Anyways, this was a great read - it's as if you're taking part in an intelligent, albeit one-sided conversation, you can't help but be struck by the grandness of spirit, he recalls a young Thomas Wolfe (Of Time and the River), an irrepressible zest for life, spontaneous, vital, brilliant ideas and thoughtful digressions. He acknowledges the controversy and defends his writings about Sex & Pornography, argues against obscenity and censure, there are previously unpublished letters and selections from drafts of his novels, this was probably his most enjoyable book. (**Note, strictly speaking, he didn't write this as a book, it was posthumously assembled by his publishers)
And, in curious coincidences as if to remind me that "books are the way" on Page 100, in Italics, he's written "For the Time Being", recalling the last book I read, so onward...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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A recommendation of Dagmar's, a series of beautifully written meditations on the meaning of life. Lots of interesting sources to explore from here.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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A pioneer in the genre of "Psychological" Ghost stories, whereupon allowance is made for both the narrator as well as uncanny origins. Floridly written, it takes a while for the mind to shape itself to the meander of her prose, but worth it, references to classical literature and art abound, Gothic tales evoking the ruins and landscapes of Italy.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 1568
The Autobiography of a Winnebago Indian - Paul Radin
Life, ways, acculturation, and the peyote cult
A slender read, written by an anonymous Winnebego Indian living in the Minneapolis region of the US in the mid-late 1800's. Curious, by western standards rather devoid of descriptions and more of a "these are the facts of my life and my tribe...". Of interest were the notes on the belief in reincarnation, the traditional roles of men and women, traditional knowledge, the narrators doubts regarding initiation and the great earth-spirit, the traditional native idea that to hoard up items you didn't use reflected a poverty of spirit, and that - unless you were actively using them, items were there for communal use - (a sound principle, I might add), there was the emphasis on dying in battle - a heroes death for the warrior clan - rather mirrors the idea of certain extremist Islamic groups.
All and all interesting - always interesting to have keys to the thoughts of long extinct others, and rare enough that we can get it from their own lips. And good to read, if only in that it overturns a lot of the romanticism we've built up over the first nations.