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Cock and Bull Stories: Folco de Baroncelli and the Invention of the Camargue
Robert Zaretsky
Manufacturer: University of Nebraska Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0803249209 |
Book Description
In the French Camargue—the delta surrounding the mouth of the Rhone River and part of the southern “nation” of Occitania—the bull is a powerful icon of nationalism, literature, and culture. How this came to be—how the Camargue bull came to confront the French cock, venerable symbol of a unified and republican France—is the story told in this ingenious study. Robert Zaretsky considers how in fin-de-siècle France the young writer Folco de Baroncelli, inspired by the history of the American West, in particular the fate of the Oglala Sioux and other Native American peoples, reinvented the history of Occitania. Galvanized by the example set by Buffalo Bill Cody, Baroncelli recast the Camargue as “le far-west” of France, creating the “immemorial” traditions he battled to protect.
Zaretsky’s study examines the creative tension between center and periphery in the making of modern France: just as the political and intellectual elite of the Third Republic “invented” a certain kind of France, so too did a coterie of southern writers, including Baroncelli, “invent” a certain kind of Camargue. The story of how the Camargue bull challenged the French cock in this ideological and cultural Wild West deepens our appreciation of the complex dynamic that has created contemporary France.
Book Description
"Cock: A Novelette" is the story of a woman who grows a fully functional penis. "Bull: A Farce" is the story of a man who acquires a vagina and all its companion parts. There are, however, complications. Cock & Bull, the book that introduced an enfant terrible of English letters to an American audience, has quickly become a classic of blistering satire.
Customer Reviews:
CoCK.......2004-08-03
Didn't care for the bull. Kinda dug the C*ck. I thought that the story was insightful, funny, sexy, etc. Maybe that was a bit too much c#ck for some people. They should stick to reading John Grisham or the like.
It was remaindered for good reason.......2003-02-25
In this book, Will Self explores gender. Unfortunately, he doesn't really commit. In the first book, a bored suburban woman develops a penis. She doesn't develop a true, honest to God, do-I-dress-left-or-right one, just a nub. There just is not a lot driving her, either. She just seemed like a sad little person, who never goes anywhere. In the companion story, a macho man develops a vagina on his leg. To use the AOL-type acronym, WTF? Why not commit? Why not put it where they generally are located? You certainly won't find one on someone's leg!
Both stories were too weak. He doesn't wake them up completely switched in gender, he does not really show how society treats men and women through the fresh eyes of someone who has undergone a full transformation. He just makes these oddball half-baked chimeras and has all of the consequence of the mutation be a result of their own internal ruminations.
Best ignore this one and enjoy his other, more entertaining books.
Ooh, I'm scared........2001-09-25
There's this woman, right, and she grows a penis!! It's soooo rude! That Will's so naughty! And then there's this subtext about antisemitism and it's so, like, deep! Crikey, he's clever.
Will Self wants to be Kafka. Or maybe he wishes Kafka had never been born then he could have got there first. Let's be thankful good old Franz did beat him to it, and with a lot more style to boot. And Brett Easton Ellis does that shocking nastiness thing a whole lot better, too.
When men and women switch roles.......2001-03-13
A definite oddity of a book that explores how and why men and women are infinitely different. One woman grows fully functional male genitalia and conversely a male is disfigured with female genitals in the back of his knee. What's most interesting about the books is the emotional metamorphosis, not necessarily the physical one that these two independent people experience.
I liked the idea of the book, however I found the vocabulary to be grandiloquent at times. Reading this book with a dictionary nearby was a necessity for me. This isn't necessarily a weakness, however I found that the book should have been a little more decipherable for being such a small novelette. The story itself was grand; the vocabulary just confused and overshadowed the narrative. I liked the book, and I recommend it, just be prepared to sit with a dictionary while reading.
The Strange World of Self.......2000-11-29
Not one for the faint-hearted (if you're easily offended, better steer clear of this one)! Self's Londoners live weird existences that I feel would fit in very well with Hieronymus Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights". Probably Self would treat any attempt at analysis of his work with some disdain, but nevertheless I felt that (as usual) he was attempting to challenge the reader's view of morality and sexuality. Self seemed to me to be saying that human sexuality (for that read sexual roles) is both ambiguous and mutable: the commonly-held view that all is black-and-white is nonsense, rather it's all various shades of grey. I enjoyed the book immensely - it's challenging, funny and disturbing......
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Gay Plays: Cock & Bull Story : Terminal Bar : Levitation : The Prisoners of War (Gay Plays)
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0413147401 |
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Cock & Bull
Fay Caplin
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1411692721 |
Book Description
A quiz book that invites you to select the correct origin of a well-known word or phrase from two possibilities.
Customer Reviews:
This is fun!.......2006-07-12
If you enjoy the English language, as I do, and wonder about our words and phrases and how they came about, this is a delightful book to have. Obviously the author has wondered the same thing and has done a lot of research to find the answers. On top of that she has turned the answers into a fun game that you can play with friends or family--or even on your own.
I think this book is well worth the modest price and you'll be surprised at the origin of some of those common, every day words and phrases that we all use without even thinking about them.
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Cock & Bull
Will Self
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JZYMOQ |
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Cock & Bull
Will Self
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GR1RGI |
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COCK & BULL
Will Self
Manufacturer: Publisher Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WQST6Y |
Customer Reviews:
Avengers Misassembled.......2007-06-27
Don't get me wrong - I'm a fan of the Avengers, but in stacking up with the other Essential collections, this one reveals a messy ride that never quite grabs me. The villains don't overwhelm me. Unlike the Fantastic Four who had Dr Doom and Galactus; or the X-Men who had the Sentinels - the Avengers never really had a strong nemesis (with the exception of Ultron). Baddies like Zodiac? They really don't cut it.
Also, why the Avengers collections work less well for me than the rest is the black and white print. The full range of colour we need to make these heroes rock, is sorely missing.
Never an easy team to write for, the artwork is fine but it's just not killer stuff that it would be with the colour. For some reason, I have less of a problem when reading other Essential collections.
Call me fussy, but the Avengers just ain't the same without colour.
Gorgeous stuff..........2005-09-15
I have to disagree with all of the previous reviewers - I find Roy Thomas' Avengers work to be consistently half-baked and trite; if you're looking for a good READ, go somewhere else, preferably the new stuff being put out today - Wanted, Ultimates, Promethea, or what have you. But if you love classic Marvel Super-Heroes, and love to see them exceptionally well drawn, then this book is a MUST-HAVE. Sal Buscema is competent, but the stars here are Squeal Adams and, my fave and TOTALLY underrated, the one-and-only John "tha Don" Buscema. Although inker Tom "the embalmer" Palmer is not my favorite choice over Adams, his work here with Big John is some of the best around.
Everyone talks about the Kree-Skrull War saga, which is contained in this volume - by modern day standards, its "ok." Most of these tales are throw away. I cannot emphasize enough that the attraction of this tome is the AMAZING ARTISTRY contained therein. Nobody does the Panther like Buscema, and Adams' Ant-Man is the best that character has ever looked - EVER, I say. No fooling, if you love comic book art and Marvel characters in particular, or know of a child or nephew, etc. that does, GET THIS BOOK - Highest Possible Reccomendation.
Note: Essential Avengers vol. 3 is outstanding as well - get both if you don't have them.
The Earth-Skrull War in this one makes it worth reading.......2005-05-02
When the Avengers started off they were not just Marvel's answer to the Justice League of America, they were a place to toss half of the characters that were sharing space in some of the company's titles. So you had Captain America and Iron Man from "Tales of Suspense," Giant Man & the Wasp along with the Hulk from "Tales to Astonish," and you might as well toss Thor from "Journey Into Mystery" into the mix as well. Of course, the Hulk was gone by the time Captain America showed up, and those began the revolving door that was the Avengers decades before the current dissembling and what not. Consequently, what you consider the glory days of the comic book has to begin with what lineup you like as well as who was writing and drawing the group at any given time.
That being said, I think the best days of the Avengers are represented in the comics collected in "Essential Avengers, Volume 4." This trade paperback has issues #69-97 and as a special bonus "Incredible Hulk" #140, which is the celebrated Harlan Ellison story "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the Atom" (the favor is returned in "Essential Hulk, Volume 3" which also has that story and "Avengers" #88, which sets it up). For me the Avengers have to be led by Captain America and have to have the Vision, who is the quintessential Avengers character, in the line-up. I also prefer to have Iron Man around but not Thor and never Giant-Man (to put a limit on the muscle). I can only stand so much of Hawkeye (and making him Goliath was just the worst of two worlds), and I would be a lot happier if the Scarlet Witch would stick around while Quicksilver was off pouting somewhere. So, I never really get to the idea Avengers lineup, but when we get to the end of this collection and we have Cap, the Vision, Iron Man, and Thor, and that makes me pretty happy.
By that point we also have Neal Adams showing up to do the artwork, which means the Avengers have never looked better. I can remember being excited that Adams was breathing some new life into the book, although I think his work on "X-Men" was even better in terms of drawing a superhero group. More importantly, Tom Palmer does most of the inking here, not only of Adams's work but of John Buscema's as well. Along with the work he did with Gene Colan on "Tomb of Dracula," Palmer is clearly my all-time favorite inker and he always makes the artwork look better.
Adams shows up for issue #93 in the middle of a solid story arc that has the Avengers stopping a Skrull invasion. Making things even more interesting is the appointment of H. Warren Craddock as the newly appointed head of the Alien Activities Commission who is out to get Captain Marvel and whipping up the common folk so that they attack the Avenger's mansion. At that point the group is made up of the Vision, Goliath, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, which is why the original members of the Avengers show up to disband the group and then save the world. This one ends up in outer space by the time it is done and given some of the lame villains the Avengers had to deal with in earlier issues it is nice to see them out there letting lose for once. .
Before that it is basically a normal series of Avengers adventures. At the start the group is Yellowjacket, the Wasp, the Vision, Goliath and the Black Panther. They take on Kang the Conqueror (#69-71) and pick up the Black Knight as a new member. Then there are encounters with Scorpio (#72), the Sons of the Serpent (#73-74), Arkon the Magnificent (#75-76, 84), and the Lethal Legion (#78-79). Red Wolf pops up (#80-81) and then Daredevil (#82), followed by the Valkyrie and her Lady Liberators (#83) and then the Squadron Sinister (#85). Other battles are against Brain-Child (#86). We also have the origin of T'Challa revealed at last (#87), the attempt to help the Hulk (#88), and then the arrival of Captain Marvel signals the beginning of the big story arc that makes this collection worth having. That is a 5 star story, but the rest of the collection is above and below 4 stars, so we end up rounding down on the difference.
PERHAPS THE BEST RUN OF AVENGERS!!!.......2004-11-05
This period of the late 1960;s through early 1970's was I think the finest in Avengers history. Vol. 4 of the Essential Avengers is a 640 page trade that collects Avengers issues 69 - 97.
This was a time of Great Roy Thomas Stories and fantatic artwork by John Buscema and Neal Adams. Without a doubt the highlight of this book is the legendary Kree-Skrull war storyline featuring art by Neal Adams.
It is one of the most complex storylines EVER in Comics and has some classic Neal Adams covers, particularly #96 with the Vision just pummeling a Skrull.
Other issues of note is #83 with the Lady Liberators...perhaps the first story ever tackling the womens lib movement of the 1970's.
#87 features the Origin of the Black Panther.
#80 features the first appearance of the American Indian hero Red Wolf.
Damn good stuff!
If your a fan of John and Sal Buscema and art .............2004-10-16
This one has some of the best classic Avengers tales available to date. It has the Captain Marvel Saga with Neal Adams on the art chores. If you are a fan of Roy Thomas's writing, John and Sal Buscema art, then this is the book for you. Marvels finest talents are seen throughout this one. Why can't there be more artists and writers like this in todays versions of the characters?
Amazon.com
In The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of, Thomas Disch does for science fiction what he did for poetry in The Castle of Indolence. First, he treats it not as a playground for idle dreamers, but as a branch of serious literature with significant cultural impact. Second, he brings the perspective of a seasoned practitioner to bear in separating the wheat from the chaff.
For example, if you ever wanted to know why L. Ron Hubbard managed to start a cult but Philip K. Dick didn't, Disch is your man. Beginning with Edgar Allan Poe, Disch elaborates a vision of science fiction as one of the twentieth century's most influential manifestations of America as a culture of liars. Among the frauds are the alien abduction stories of Whitley Strieber, the sadomasochistic dominance fantasies of John Norman, and the co-opting of cyberpunk by postmodern academics and avant-gardists trying to stay hip.
Disch plays very few favorites, and when ideology gets in the way of good writing, it doesn't matter what side you're on. Subliterary feminist fantasies of matriarchial utopias get slammed just as hard as subliterary conservative militaristic wet dreams. Not even one of sci-fi's most beloved Grand Masters, Robert Heinlein, is unimpeachable; Disch correctly nails Heinlein on his consistent sexism and racism, as well as his gradual descent into solipsism. One of Heinlein's last novels, The Number of the Beast, is described as "the freakout to which [Heinlein]'s entitled as a good American, whose right to lie is protected by the Constitution."
What does Disch like? For starters: Philip K. Dick, the British New Wave as exemplified by J. G. Ballard and Michael Moorcock, and Joe Haldeman's Hugo- and Nebula-winning The Forever War, described as being "to the Vietnam War what Catch-22 was to World War II," and which he believes deserved a Pulitzer as well.
Disch may confirm your suspicions, or he may raise every last one of your hackles. But one thing this book will definitely not do is bore you.
Book Description
From one of science fiction's most acclaimed novelists comes this engrossing journey through the books, movies, and television programs that have shaped our perspective of both the present and the future. In an uncompromising, often irreverent survey of the genre from Edgar Allan Poe to Philip K. Dick to Star Trek, Thomas M. Disch analyzes science fiction's impact on technological innovation, fashion, lifestyle, military strategy, the media, and much more.
An illuminating look at the art of science fiction (with a practitioner's insight into craft), as well as a work of pointed literary and cultural criticism, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of reveals how this "pulp genre" has captured the popular imagination while transforming the physical and social world in which we live.
Customer Reviews:
Both a tribute to and dismissal of SF - an eccentric view.......2007-01-17
This is a very well-written, entertaining and informative book by an outstanding Sci-Fi author. When I picked it up at a bookstore, I coould not stop scanning bits from it and quickly purchased the book, eagerly anticipating a pleasant afternoon and evening of absorption in Disch's discussion. Unfortunately, once I started at the beginning and read slowly and carefully, I became increasingly annoyed and disappointed in Disch's attitude. He obviously has a love-hate relationship with the genre, and most of the love seems to be from his past. He has written some wonderful SF, but if I am not mistaken, most of those works came earlier in his career, while his more recent work is well outside the genre (however defined). He often seems very patronising about SF, all the while protesting how much he is a part of it, how many authors he has known, etc. This is a very personal work, and I would recommend it with some reservation. It is not a good introduction to science fiction. For that, the reader should seek out Brian Aldiss' "Billion Year Spree" or David Allen's "Introduction to Science Fiction." Sci-Fi fans will likely be equally delighted and enraged by this book. It certainly is thought-provoking, but quite cranky as well.
Opinionated certainly, but fun and insightful cutural critique.......2006-11-08
This is the first, but hopefully not the last, Thomas M. Disch book that I have read. I happened upon it in the literature section of my small public library by serendipity. I have only read a handful of science fiction books in the last 20 years or so, so my opinions are not those of a "fan". This is a book of one man's opinions and insights, smart and sassy. Disch is quite the cultural critic, and his vision is far reaching. The title may be a bit misleading, as Disch actually discusses SF via a broad pallet of cultural "fictions" that are loosely based on science ideas. As the cover states, this is "much more than a history of the genre". He rambles between subjects as far wide as celebrity lying to UFO cults to mass murder to the SDI of the 80's to feminism and so on, always citing specific people and events (mainly from America in the latter half of the 20th century) with the intention of relating these events to the subtexts of specific SF works. I can see why some reviewers disliked his analysis of the politically conservative subtexts in Robert Heinlien's work, but I found Disch's opinions very enlightening. I guess I have been one of those people who sometimes when reading a book get so caught up in the action that the underlying subtext doesn't immediately register in my conscious mind, but later I feel something unnamed was bothering me - like the racism in Lucifer's Hammer or the conformism inherent in Star Trek. A book is just a book, but Disch reminds us that stories reveal our hope and dreams, our fears and our political agendas. Is this a diatribe as one reviewer says? Well maybe. But though I didn't agree with everything Disch says, I for one like to have my ideas informed and challenged by the writing of a sharp and gifted thinker, and more so when the writing is both unflinching and humorous.
Disappointing and Insulting.......2006-01-28
Thomas M. Disch approaches what should be an engaging topic to any SF lover with a holier-than-thou attitude that is both condescending and unappealing. I purchased this book believing it would study the impact of SF on American culture-as the title suggests. Instead, Disch taints his diatribe with his own offensive bias.
Perhaps his sourest assertion is that of SF as the ultimate Boy's Club-run for and by the Men. Why, Disch is so enamored of this male-dominated theory, he proceeds to deny Mary Shelley as the true founder of the genre, and instead raises Edgar Allen Poe to the pedestal instead. His weak reason? He asserts that fewer people read Shelley than Poe. Furthermore, he credits Shelley's parents and husband as the reason behind her success at all. Because God forbid a woman might have laid the foundation for Disch's beloved genre.
The entire book is tainted with these sort of chauvinistic opinions. What I thought would be a dissertation on SF in American culture is little more than one man's attempts to inflict his bias on the public. Spare yourself the indignation of reading such arrogant and bigoted opinions as this, you'll find nothing but rage at the ignorance of some folk.
The Only Good Thing About This Book Is the Title.......2005-11-24
The only thing good about this book is the title. THE DREAMS OUR STUFF IS MADE OF: How Science Fiction Conquered the World would be a great title for a book about how science fiction ideas, technologies, and authors influenced the real world. Clarke and communications satelites. Star Trek and flip-phones. Heinlein and the space program. SF as a whole and science teaching.
This book is not about that. It yearns to be a scholarly treatise on the origins of and changes to science fiction. Disch decides that Poe was the father of SF, because he thinks lots more people read Poe than read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. But he bases the SF paternity claim on Poe works that virtually no one has read. And even if fewer people have read the original Frankenstein than have read Poe's "The Raven" or "The Pendulum", I would certainly say the image of the Monster and the idea of a man of science reaching too high are much more a part of our popular culture than Poe's creations.
Another major thesis is that America is a nation of liars, and that SF is the art form best suited to tell lies. Since all fiction is by definition, not true, why SF tales are any more "lies" than, say, mysteries or romances, I fail to understand. Disch then goes into a rant about Viet Nam and Oliver North and Big Lies, which, while I largely agree with, has nothing to do with SF or its impact.
He spends a lot of time on how the "New Wave" writers of the 60's taught us to accept the idea of a post-nuclear wasteland world -- which I find incongruous in that I think Star Trek, at that same time, was showing us that a future Earth without a nuclear holocaust was possible.
I don't have room to go into depth about a lot of his other objectionable (and often insulting) statements, so I'll summarize:
-The SF audience consists largely of 12 year old boys, and women were seldom tempted by classic SF, as they were too busy enjoying gossipy romances.
-Robert A. Heinlein is a fascist, racist, sexist hack (Disch spends many pages trashing RAH, while never understanding his Libertarianism, nor discussing his impact on everything from the space program to the boomer generation.)
-Ursula Le Guin is the only female writer he mentions at any length, and most of that is attacking her for editing the Norton Anthology of SF into what he sees as a biased feminist manifesto.
-The only area where he actually talks about SF's influence on the world is its inspiration for Scientology and various cult religions, mostly suicidal, millennial, and whacko.
-Chapters of boring personal reminiscences and name dropping about New Wave writers, whose influence on modern SF is frankly doubtful.
-SF has become a medium attracting largely counterculture "avant-gardists" because it celebrates "sex, drugs, and the right wardrobe."
He concludes this extremely pretentiously written work by deciding that:
-written SF is moribund, that it will lose to movies and TV (because of improvements in special effects technology),
-written books in general are doomed, except for interactive novels, which he says will become common,
-future "fictional environments" will be written by teams of writers, and "will doom the soloist author to extinction."
This is not a book about How SF Changed the World, it is a book about How the World Changed SF, and it is mostly wrong.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book only to someone taking a college literature class taught by a professor who despises Science Fiction. The ideas in the book, and the writing of the book itself, will give the student many fine ways to put down the entire genre, and will no doubt get the student an A on his term paper by reflecting back the prof's prejudices.
For anyone else, particularly anyone who actually likes SF, I'd say, "definitely don't waste your time".
A Recipe for Apoplexy.......2002-11-03
There are only a few published books that treat science fiction as something worthy of notice and critical evaluation. This book attempts to go even further by trying to prove a hypothesis that science fiction has become so invidiously entangled in the everyday world that is now a given, an everyday component that shapes many of the cultural tropes and the thought processes of Joe Everyman.
Disch starts by examining the beginnings of science fiction as a separate literary genre, starting with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the works of Edgar Allen Poe. He does an excellent job of examining the themes and ideas that Poe originated, making a strong case that Poe should be considered the ancestor of SF, rather than the more commonly cited Shelley. But in his examination of Shelley Disch displays the first evidence that this is not a work of critical evaluation of the first rank, as he dismisses her book merely because "An unread author is no one's intellectual ancestor", ignoring both the possible influence on other writers some seminal works have, commonly read or not, and the fact that Shelley is far from an 'unread author'.
This same sloppiness is exhibited in some of his research on other authors, most notably Robert Heinlein and Ursula K. Le Guin. While he correctly presents the oddity that Heinlein, normally considered a strong conservative, at one point in his life ran on the Democratic ticket for a California State Assembly seat and was heavily involved with EPIC, the socialistic movement championed by Upton Sinclair, he repeats (in multiple places) the gossip that Charles Manson was a Heinlein disciple, something easily disprovable by examining the court records of Manson's trial. Le Guin is lambasted as a militant and underhanded feminist, with little examination of her extraordinary influence and place in the SF world as a strong literary writer whose themes include far more than just the battle of the sexes. In his chapter on religion and SF, once again he seems to be incomplete, showing a lot of material on L. Ron Hubbard, Dianetics, and Scientology, but completely ignoring things like the Church of All Worlds, which originated from Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, and the fact that the two writers were well acquainted with each other and had discussed the practicalities of 'inventing' a new religion.
There are places where Disch is insightful, such as his exploration of the idea that the Star Trek societal model can be taken as a restatement of the perfect modern office culture, uni-sexed and culturally blind. But far too often he seems to ride off on his own personal hobby-horses, from UFO adherents to the Heaven's Gate cult to Reagan's SDI initiative, straining desperately to tie these phenomena to the mainstream of science fiction writing. Many of his bald statements caused me to approach a near-apoplectic condition as they were totally contrary to my own knowledge of events and the science fiction field (and I've been reading the stuff for forty-five years), while only a few brought a nod of agreement. In terms of proving his initial thesis, he is only partially successful, mainly succeeding at the lowest denominator level of Hollywood movies and the apathy of the average American to space exploration as 'old hat', but failing miserably at any good criticism of the literary value of science fiction and its influence on other forms of writing and the world at large.
Customer Reviews:
A famous book.......2007-09-29
This is one of the few New-Agey books that almost every Heathen has read, been exasperated by, and disposed of ceremoniously. You do not need to be dry, petty, or academic to resent wasting your time reading complete nonsense.
While some nonsense may be entertaining and interesting as fiction, this book is not thought-provoking, fun, or particularly creative. New-Age types may think Heathens take themselves too seriously, and in some cases they do. However, think about how Native Americans feel about buckskin-wearing New-Age gurus who parody their sacred traditions.
Some may enjoy the book, and that is their perogative. Many more will find the book frustrating, even offensive, and that perspective should also be respected.
Interesting Modern Look at Nordic Magick & Odin's Way.......2007-08-21
This book is not meant to be used as a scholarly research text.Yet,it's one man's intransigent quest to describe his creative interpretation of modern Nordic shamanistic paganism.It's a thought-provokingly fun and creative book.There are many negative reviews posted about this book because they are petty sophists among who can't validate their claims to supress this book.If one does not want an amazingly bold expressive look at modern Nordic shamanistic heathenism,then just stick to the dry academic readings of the mid-twentith century,like by Snorri Strulsson.Ed Fitch is a former military man who always enjoyed the classic stories of Asatru.He then published this unique vision of the Rites of Odin. To each their own.
Not even close to historically accurate.......2006-03-01
This book is misleading when talking about Asatru rites--moreover, it's not even historically accurate.
Asatruar are better served looking to the Sagas and actual scholarly works for their information about how the ancestors likely worshipped.
Not a heathen book. .......2005-07-20
As a heathen, I detest this book. But, for the Norse Wiccan it isn't that bad. The book clearly states it is a "tremendous contribution toward the unfolding of a real 'Norse Wicca.'" It's right there in the foreward, page xiii.
I'll admit it is somewhat misleading, as there are a few mentions of Odinism in the book. But anyone with any knowledge of Odinism, Asatru, Theodish, or any other heathen denomination will see right through it. Fitch's definition of Odinism is apparently much more simple than what most of us think of it as. Fitch defines Odinism as "one who worships Odin, et al." and that is the only requirement.
I don't see the book trying to be about Asatru or heathenry. The foreward was written by none other than Edred Thorsson, the biggest flake "heathen" author in existence. Thorsson was a founding member of the Ring of Troth, but he was also forced out due to his involvement with the Temple of Set, an offshoot cult of the Church of Satan. His endorement of the book should tell you something.
The entire section on runes would be better used as toilet paper. As someone with several years of runic knowledge, this book is certainly unique, in that the information found here is found no where else. Fitch is worse that Blum in that respect (and I never thought that was possible). The entire lore section is also worthless. The seasonal rituals have an obvious Wiccan influence, but some of the Rites of Passage have some good ideas.
Another obvious Wiccan influence is the ever present duality during the rituals. Every ritual has a "godi" and "godia."
The 26 parts of the Rede of Honor fails by comparison to the Nine Noble Virtues. His information on specific gods and goddesses are laughably wrong (Vali is not a son of Loki, Freyr is not the son of Skadi, Idunna does not represent the earth, Ostara is the Germanic name for Idunna, and not a seperate goddess, Fenrir does not devour the sun, etc.) His everpresent term "Gods of Valhalla" is just plain stupid. I don't think the book mentions Asgard even once. Niflheim and Muspellheim are also omitted from the pages. Alfheim and Svartalfheim also didn't make the cut. In fact of the Nine Worlds, only Midgard ad Hel made in into the book.
Basically, the book is worthless to those reconstructionists who try to be as accurate as possible when it comes to the religion of our ancestors. Accuracy is not something Fitch seemed too concerned about when he wrote this book. For the Wiccan, where accuracy and authenticity are simply suggestions to be considered, this book would be worth checking out. As a book for Asatruar, this still is useful as a guide of "what not to do," and I would still recommend it to beginners into heathenry for that purpose.
Still if you must, buy it used, borrow it, steal it if it comes to that. But never, ever pay full price for this book.
There are cheaper doorstops out there........2004-11-29
What does the Rites of Odin have in common with a spagetti strainer? Neither hold any water. Sadly, I have met a handful of newbie Asatruar that have purchased this book. I have opened this tome a few times and after some perusing am left with a vacant creak in my lower intestines. Ed Fitch may be a nice person and quite helpful in other earth-based pagan type religions, but Asatru tends to require historical validity that other earth-based pagan religions don't seem to demand. The book actually has a section on how to craft a horned helmet!
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The Rites of Odin
Ed Fitch
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KTC5N6 |
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