The Myth of the Birth of the Hero

by Rank, Otto; Richter, Gregory C.; Lieberman, E. James

• ISBN13: 9780801878831
• ISBN10: 0801878837
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-10-30
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

Originally published in German in 1909, Otto Rank's 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 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. Thirteen years later, Rank substantially revised this seminal work, incorporating new discoveries in psychoanalysis, mythology, and ethnology, doubling the size of the book. This expanded second edition has never before been available in English. For the second edition, Rank added anthropological considerations of primitive and civilized peoples to those of mythology; extensive discussions of birth dreams, flood legends, and rescue fantasies; and new mythological examples -- among them Dionysus, Kullervo (a precursor of Hamlet), Trakhan, and Tristan -- as well as fuller treatments of Sargon and Moses. Eloquently translated by Gregory C. Richter and E. James Lieberman, this volume also includes an introductory essay by Robert A. Segal and Rank's 1914 essay, "The Play in Hamlet."

Author Biography

Otto Rank (1884-1939), one of the most important figures in psychoanalysis, wrote several influential works on the mind, art, literature, and religion, including The Incest Theme in Literature and Legend and Psychology and the Soul, both published by Johns Hopkins. Gregory C. Richter, Ph.D., is a professor of German and linguistics at Truman State University. E. James Lieberman, M.D., is a practicing psychiatrist and a clinical professor of psychiatry at George Washington University. Richter and Lieberman previously translated Rank's Psychology and the Soul. Robert A. Segal, Ph.D., is a professor of religious studies at Lancaster University, and a renowned authority on mythology.

Table of Contents

Introductory Essay	vii
Robert A. Segal
Translators' Introduction	xxxix
Preface to the First Edition	xlv
Preface to the Second Edition	xlvii
Introduction	1	(8)
The Cycle of Myths	9	(38)
The Interpretation of the Myths	47	(58)
The Play within Hamlet: Toward an Analysis and Dynamic Understanding of the Work	93	(12)
Notes	105	(24)
References	129	(14)
Index	143