Theories of Mythology (review)

In preparation for teaching an upper-year undergraduate class on myth and theory this year, I read several recent introductions to theories of myth. Eric Csapo's Theories of Mythology was streets ahead of the rest. It is lively, literate, erudite, and well versed in the theories it treats. It particularly excels in placing the theories in their historical, cultural, and intellectual context, which allows Csapo to trace not only the chronological development of theories of myth, but the cultural and intellectual forces impelling and directing that development. Csapo demonstrates throughout the ability not only to describe but to apply theory in flexible and innovative ways. His last chapter, 'Ideology,' demonstrates the fusion of mythical, cultural, and literary theory in the late twentieth century, arising from their common basis in (and reaction to) structuralist thought.

Csapo apologizes, in the preface, for being unable to read Vladimir Propp in the original Russian; every other theorist he has read in the original languages. I forgive him Propp, and frankly stand in awe. Certainly reading the theorists in the original languages is essential, to avoid the biases introduced by translation; and equally certainly, not all those writing on theory have done it. Csapo's solid grounding in the original texts, both theoretical and mythical, makes his writing at once authoritative and engaged. Nothing here is second-hand.

Csapo begins with a discussion of the definition of 'myth,' in which he demonstrates that our definitions of the term 'myth,' which are the basis for any theoretical interpretation, are themselves inextricably linked to the theoretical assumptions they condition. His chapter on comparative approaches revitalizes the elsewhere often monotonous discussion of the principal theories of myth arising from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, by showing their relationship to each other and to the intellectual currents of the time. He gives priority to the discovery of the Indo-European language group, and to the development of comparative anthropology and the necessity of producing a model for cultural development that acknowledged without apparent prejudice the differences between cultures, while continuing to give the culture of the British Victorian male intelligentsia first priority. His discussion of Freud is a close and careful reading of Freud's use of myth and its association with his techniques of interpretation of dreams. The discussion of ritualist approaches begins very usefully with Émile Durkheim on religion, and only then moves to Jane Harrison and Walter Burkert. The final chapters on structuralism and ideology are a tour de force, useful reading for any student of literary theory. Throughout the book, Csapo is careful to draw out the hidden assumptions of each school of thought, and the consequent shortcomings of each approach.

Csapo does not discuss Jungian interpretation with myth, or the enormously popular 'Hero's Journey' model, loosely based on Jung, which was developed by Joseph Campbell. Campbell's work is not properly speaking a method of mythical interpretation and would have been out of place in Csapo's book, but I would have liked to hear what Csapo had to say about Jung. Csapo also does not discuss feminist readings of myth, except to mention them very briefly as a subcategory of Marxism. I would have liked to see a lengthier treatment of that approach. But the most thorough book can't cover everything, and what Csapo has done is lucid, illuminating, refreshing, and extremely informative. I recommend it to anyone looking for an intellectually engaging overview of theories of interpretation of myth.