Story of the Lynx

Author: Claude Lévi-Strauss (France), translated by Zhuang Chenyan and Liu Cunkao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book is part of the "Collected Works of Claude Lévi-Strauss" and is translated based on the 1991 edition published by Plon in France. Together with the other two books in the collection, "The Way of the Masks" and "The Pottery of Jealousy," it can be considered a light read that bridges the gap between myth and detective fiction. The author argues that mythic thinking serves as a mediator, exploring the binary organizational models found in America and around the world through myths that vary in different regions yet are interconnected. Through a story about the lynx passed down among Native American tribes in North America, the author narrates dozens of myths, progressing from simple to complex and from North America to South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and beyond. By examining the connections between these myths, the author attempts to explain some theoretical issues in the real world.