The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The Belief Among the Aborigines of Australia, New Guinea, Melanesia and PolynesiansBy James George Frazer
Length42h 29m
About this audiobook
James George Frazer's The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead is a vast comparative inquiry into how human societies imagine survival after death and ritualize relations with ancestors. Developed from his Gifford Lectures, the work ranges across Indigenous Australia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and other cultures, assembling myths, funerary customs, taboos, and rites with the patient accumulation characteristic of early anthropology. Its style is lucid, encyclopedic, and argumentative, situated in the late Victorian and Edwardian tradition of evolutionary comparative religion. Frazer, the Scottish classicist and anthropologist best known for The Golden Bough, brought to this subject an immense command of classical literature, ethnographic reports, missionary accounts, and folklore. Though his "armchair" method reflects the assumptions and limitations of his age, his central intellectual ambition was serious: to trace patterns in religious thought and to understand how fear, memory, affection, and social obligation shaped beliefs about the dead. This book is recommended to readers interested in the history of anthropology, comparative religion, and the genealogy of ideas about the afterlife. Read critically, it remains a rich document: not only a study of mortuary belief, but also a landmark in the scholarly attempt to make religion intelligible across cultures.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreSpirituality and Religion
Length42 hrs 29 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJan 23, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Author Biography
Show all chaptersShow less
6The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 1)
7The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 2)
8The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 3)
9The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 4)
10The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 5)
11The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 6)
12The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 7)
13The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 8)
14The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 9)
15The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 10)
16The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 11)
17The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 12)
18The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 13)
19The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 14)
20The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 15)
21The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 16)
22The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead (pt. 17)
23Analysis
24Reflection
25Memorable Quotes
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