Martin Arnold is Reader Emeritus in Old Northern Studies at the University of Hull. His books include The Vikings: Culture and Conquest (2006) and Thor: Myth to Marvel (2012).
"The Dragon offers a wide-ranging tour of dragons in different
cultures, including readable summaries of a range of different
myths. . . . Arnold writes in an engaging and vivid style, giving
The Dragon the tone of an erudite conversation rather than an
academic work. . . . Visually, The Dragon is impressive, with over
eighty color illustrations featuring dragons from a wide range of
different manuscripts and artistic sources. . . . An assured and
entertaining survey of a legend that has continuing appeal."--
"Fortean Times"
"[Delves] at length, and with admirable knowledge and insight, into
contemporary media spins on [its] respective totems. . . .
Thoroughly researched and richly illustrated chronicles of the
folkloric and literary pedigrees of [its] subject creatures. . . .
The Dragon features sumptuous color illustrations, a deep
bibliography, and notes that invite the reader into independent
excursions leading well beyond its pages. Author Arnold is clearly
a world expert in dragon lore across genres and media. He guides
the reader through a long and fascinating history of this mythical
beast's appearances. . . . Simultaneously expansive and granular. .
. . A rewarding, not to mention highly quotable, resource for
browsers. If you are interested in any manifestation of dragon
lore--religious, folkloric, literary, or artistic--this marvelous
volume should be your point of entry."-- "Washington Independent
Review of Books"
"Arnold's The Dragon explores the civilized dragon--the dragon as
it has coalesced in an enduring and remarkably consistent body of
legend, the dragon as it has cross-pollinated with other legends
via the rise of powerful empires, and the dragon as it deals with
the problems of civilization itself. In practice, this means that
Arnold does not hew closely to any consistent vision of a dragon.
Instead, he focuses on the best examples of dragons (or dragon-like
function) within Semitic, Indo-European, and East Asian cultures,
and finally in globally exported Western pop culture."-- "Weekly
Standard"
"From Norse mythology to Game of Thrones, dragons have soared
through legend across continents and centuries. By turns scholarly
and vivid (it's still hard not to be captivated by the stories
themselves), this book travels from China to Scandinavia in a bid
to track down the meaning behind the myth. Dragons, it seems, have
at various times represented both authority and a threat to it."--
"History Revealed"
"The ability to write on esoteric matters in an accessible way is
something that often (surprisingly) eludes scholars of literature,
but that is not the case with Martin Arnold's The Dragon: Fear and
Power. This exploration of dragons covers vast distances both
temporally and geographically, and yet it seems neither laboured
nor superficial." --Chris Bishop, Department of Classics and
Ancient History, The Australian National University
"The potency of dragons as symbols for human fears, weaknesses, and
aspirations is the subject of Arnold's wide-ranging cultural
survey. Beginning with classical mythology and ending with George
R. R. Martins's Game of Thrones, Arnold explores the ways in which
different eras and cultures have adapted an ancient, near-universal
concept of terrifying, winged reptiles to reflect--and sometimes
criticize--societal norms. . . . A thoroughly intriguing look at
the symbol of the dragon and its powerful hold on the human
imagination. Highly recommended for readers of cultural and
literary history."-- "Library Journal"
"Arnold has set himself a vast topic for scrutiny: every culture
across the millennia has conjured up fantastical fire-spewing
raptors, perhaps as a projection of all that humankind most fears.
This social history of dragons begins in the mythologies and
legends that have come to us throughout recorded history and ends
in the present day, with The Game of Thrones' Daenerys and her
aggressive brood."--Sarah Murdoch "Toronto Star"
"Dragons, as is proved to the hilt by Arnold's exceptionally
wide-ranging and multicultural survey, are in fact 'a global
phenomenon' and a cross-temporal one as well. They go as far back
in time as the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, and they turn up
across Eurasia, from Ireland all the way to Japan. But how
consistent is the dragon phenomenon? And what on earth can it mean
about us?"--Tom Shippey "Literary Review"
Ask a Question About this Product More... |