Mythical Trickster Figures

by Hynes, William J.; Doty, William G.

• ISBN13: 9780817308575
• ISBN10: 0817308571
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-01-30
• Publisher: Univ of Alabama Pr

Summary

Mythical Trickster Figures is the first substantial collection of essays about the trickster figure since Paul Radin's influential 1955 publication of The Trickster. Contributions by leading scholars treat a wide range of manifestations of this mischievous character, ranging from the Coyote of the American Southwest to such African figures as Eshu-Elegba and Ananse, the Japanese Susa-no-o, the Greek Hermes, Christian adaptations of Saint Peter, and examples found in contemporary American fiction and drama. Original essays by authors known for their work on trickster figures provide resources for comprehending the nature of the phenomenon and challenge some previous interpretations. The contributors include T.O. Beidelman, Anne Doueihi, Robert S. Ellwood, Laura Makarius, Robert D. Pelton, Mac Linscott Ricketts, Thomas J. Steele, S.J., Christopher Vecsey, as well as the editors. Several contributors deconstruct earlier comparativist works in favor of culture-specific analysis and provide for a grasp of the transcultural qualities of the trickster myths and figures that appear in the local mythologies of different societies. The many humorous trickster stories included are fascinating in themselves, and Hynes and Doty highlight the wide range of features of the trickster - the figure whose comic appearance often signifies that the most serious cultural values are being both challenged and enforced. Mythical Trickster Figures moves away from earlier studies that considered the figure merely "primitive" or located in the basement of the human psyche suggesting instead that the spirit of metaplay is crucial to human and social maturation.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments and Permissions	ix
Introducing the Fascinating and Perplexing Trackster Figure	1	(12)
William J. Hynes
William G. Doty
Historical Overview of Theoretical Issues: The Problem of the Trickster	13	(20)
William G. Doty
William J. Hynes
Mapping the Characteristics of Mythic Tricksters: A Heuristic Guide	33	(13)
William J. Hynes
A Lifetime of Trouble-Making: Hermes as Trickster	46	(20)
William G. Doty
The Myth of the Trickster: The Necessary Breaker of Taboos	66	(21)
Laura Makarius
The Shaman and the Trickster	87	(19)
Mac Linscott Ricketts
The Exception Who Proves the Rules: Ananse the Akan Trickster	106	(16)
Christopher Vecesey
West African Tricksters: Web of Purpose, Dance of Delight	122	(19)
Robert D. Pelton
A Japanese Mythic Trickster Figure: SUSA-NO-O	141	(18)
Robert S. Ellwood
Saint Peter: Apostle Transfigured Into Trickster	159	(15)
William J. Hynes
Thomas J. Steele
The Moral Imagination of the Kaguru: Some thoughts on Tricksters, Translation and Comparative Analysis	174	(19)
T. O. Beidelman
Inhabiting the Space Between Discourse and Story in Trickster Narratives	193	(9)
Anne Doueihi
Inconclusive Conclusions: Tricksters-Metaplayers and Revealers	202	(17)
William J. Hynes
Notes	219	(14)
Bibliography	233	(26)
Contributors	259	(4)
Index	263