Six Myths of Our Time: Little Angels, Little Monsters, Beautiful Beasts, and More

I really love reading Warner's work. Her analyses are sometimes surprising and often brilliant, the writing beautiful. I use this book in teaching Gender Psychology and when I wrote The Secret Lives of Girls (Free Press, 2002).

I loved Marina Warner's _Monuments and Maidens: The Allegory of the Female Form_, so when I saw this book, I had to have it. I have to say that I'm a little bit disappointed after _Monuments and Maidens_. I expected a more in-depth study. Instead, these six essays barely seem to scratch the surface of the topics. These essays are basically transcripts of six lectures Warner gave for BBC radio, which explains their brevity, but it's a shame she didn't expand upon them when she decided to publish them in print.Still, there are some very interesting things here. I would definitely recommend it if you're interested in folklore and are just starting your studies. For the advanced student, the book just leaves you wanting more.

These essays are some of the most interesting essays I've read in years. Warner integrates fairy tales, Greek myths, anthropology, and current cultural objects, events, and pasttimes to take on really interesting issues. Her essay "Boys will be Boys" is a must-read for gender classes; it discusses the lost narratives of masculinity, those that rewarded wit and cunning, and the current trend to show brute force prevailing. Those seeking to understand the Columbine shootings should have looked here first.