
American Tricksters
Thoughts on the Shadow Side of a Culture's Psyche
William J. Jackson(Author)
Wipf & Stock Publishers
Published on 18. December 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
292 pages
978-1-62564-790-0 (ISBN)
Description
Tricksters are known by their deeds. Obviously not all the examples in American Tricksters are full-blown mythological tricksters like Coyote, Raven, or the Two Brothers found in Native American stories, or superhuman figures like the larger-than-life Davy Crockett of nineteenth-century tales. Newer expressions of trickiness do share some qualities with the Trickster archetype seen in myths. Rock stars who break taboos and get away with it, heroes who overcome monstrous circumstances, crafty folk who find a way to survive and thrive when the odds are against them, men making spectacles of themselves by feeding their astounding appetites in public--all have some trickster qualities. Each person, every living creature who ever faced an obstacle and needed to get around it, has found the built-in trickster impulse. Impasses turn the trickster gene on, or stimulate the trick-performing imagination--that's life. To explore the ways and means of trickster maneuvers can alert us to pitfalls, help us appreciate tricks that are entertaining, and aid us in fending off ploys which drain our resources and ruin our lives. Knowing more about the Trickster archetype in our psyches helps us be more self-aware.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Eugene
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
478 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-62564-790-0 (9781625647900)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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E-Book
12/2014
Wipf and Stock Publishers
€34.49
Available for download
Persons
William J. Jackson grew up in Rock Island, Illinois, and studied acting at Goodman Theatre School at the Art Institute of Chicago. He earned his PhD in comparative religion at Harvard University. He taught at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis for many years and is the author of several books about South Indian culture. He has also written a book about fractal geometry in cultures, Heaven's Fractal Net (2004), and a book about compassion and giving in America, The Wisdom of Generosity (2008), as well as works of fiction.