Mircea Eliade's THE COSMOS & HSTORY: The Myth of the Eternal Return is probably the great mythologist's most famous work. Indeed, his insights into Western/linear time and "the terror of History", over against CYCLICAL/mythological (but not necessarily non-Western or "pagan" time) are now so pervasive that their profound implications are often missed like trees in a forest. SYMBOLISM, The SACRED, & The ARTS can offer an attentive reader a journey of "recovery" and understanding the importance of MYTHOLOGY as a kind of societal/personal "architecture" of the individual spirit. That is, in a fine collection of essays and lectures anthologized by editor Diane Apostolos, Eliade presents incisive and illuminating comments on who we are, what we do and why we...really...do it. To clarify: to state that the "equivalent" of American metaphysics is the "mthology" of advertising is probably fairly obvious. But to reckon that SLIM FAST and various dietary regimens are actually...according to Eliade..."sacramental" activites supplanting an "OLD" with a "NEW" ORDER of grace in the nourishing of Being might be scoffed-at. Except that even young children are quite aware that the SHOPPING MALL long ago replaced The Cathedral as a center of ultimate values. Eliade's essay "Cultural Fashions" discusses the implications of replacing "holy ...or sanctifying...rituals and objects with "stuff" that pretends to be "sacred" or is so offered. The essays "Survival and Camouflages" and "Masks: Mythical and Ritual Origens" may help the reader to "hear the penny drop" as the so-called linguistic philosophers say, in understanding our preoccupation with the pseudo-quests of sports' heroes, the "who wants to be millionaires?" and the celebration of celebrities (as famous for being famous). The Essay on MASKS is particularly interesting because Eliade accomplishes in about six pages what Joseph Campbell attempted in four volumes ("Masks of God"). The central focus of the work, however, is the mythology of ART. Cultures...whether so intending or not...define themselves by what they exalt as Sacred. Even if the latter is deliberately and overtly profane (in the multiple meanings). The importance of "art" (literature, sculpture, music and now preeminently film) as an INITIATING experience preparing one for life's ORDEALS is fascinating whether one accepts the author's concept or not. TV...to use Ray Bradbury's symbol...is the One-eyed snake which violates the "sacred" by deconstructing (Public TV is a tautology) the space necessary for the Personal/ Spiritual encounter (in whatever form the modern TEMPLE may be truly constituted). The latter simply proposes that "sacred space" ...and TIME...is necessary to nourish and nurture man's deepest craving for The GOOD...and the infinite. And this is the essence of Religious...ironically...truly existential humanity. As a scholar Mercea Eliade is renowned as perhaps the 20th century's greatest explicator of MYTH. Some of his material is difficult, even esoteric. Much of it, however, is clear and accessible. Most of it, I propose, is worthwhile even if you find yourself in disagreement with the author's conclusions. Eliade is not a New Age guru attempting to "enlighten" your soul with "spiritual rock'n'roll". He is a serious teacher, professing worthwhile knowledge. SYMBOLISM, THE SACRED & THE ARTS is a fine, illuminating study...

Mircea Eliade could be reasonably considered as one of the Re-founding Fathers of modern study of religion. His History of Religious Ideas is thus one of the corner stones of modern research in this field. This particular part of his history is as well written as the others. It deals very well with most of the improtant currents in mediaeval Christianity, including the spread of Christianity to Slav tribes, the Cluny rerform, the religious life associated with the rise of mendicant orders, Meister Eckhart, devotio moderna but he does not forget about the rise of neopaganism in Renaissance Italy, about the role of alchemy in religious feeling of the sixteenth century, he even ventures to say that modern physics was created almost unintentionally. This book is truly amazing.

There are also some down sides to the book. One, it cannot be taken as the "state-of-the-art" of religous study. Eliade has been surpassed by new research in the field. It is therefore better to use the book as a general background. Second, it has been shown that Eliade unfortunately developed the habit of sometimes stretching the truth to fit his analysis. He did not use this questionable method to such an extent as to render his whole analysis worthless but it does cast a shadow on his academic honesty.

BTW, I do not feel qualified to comment on his treatment of religious phenomena outside the Judeo-Christian cultural sphere.