The humming tree

Norman Toby Simms

"The history of mentalities is at once a history of imaginable and unimaginable things in the world, of the speakable and unspeakable in culture, and of the conceivable and inconceivable in human experience. Beginning with an exploration of how we can understand a nonliterate Yaqui Indian myth called "The Humming Tree," Norman Simms scrutinizes a variety of documents and events to test and demonstrate the theory and methodology of a history of mentalities. He discusses American Indian myths, English novels, and Hebrew prayers and examines topics such as how storytellers perform their craft, what happened in Jonestown, Guyana, and who took part in the conquest of America." "At the same time, Simms provides a critical appreciation of incisive thinkers including Lucien Goldmann, Norbert Elias, Meir Sternberg, and Vladimir Propp, finding their writings more concrete and historically...

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