"The long overdue publication of an English edition of Gilbert Durand's Les Structures anthropologiques de l'imaginaire is a milestone for the Anglophone intellectual world. The work long ago achieved the status of a classic in France, and has been translated into numerous other languages over the past several decades. English-speaking readers in many fields, including philosophy, anthropology, social theory, psychology, the history of religions, as well as literary and art criticism, will finally have access to an essential work that has lamentably remained a mystery to them for the past four decades. In Durand's discussions of myth, symbol and image, these readers will find a theoretical sophistication far exceeding that of writers on these topics with whom they are more familiar, including such dominant figures as Jung and Campbell. While philosophical investigation of the imaginary has recently made some headway in Anglo-American thought, discussions have been seriously hindered by a lack of access to Durand's groundbreaking works in this area. Though not all readers will adopt unconditionally his "pragmatic, relativist method of convergence," no one who hopes to develop a profound grasp of the imaginary can afford to ignore the powerful case that he makes for his approach. The Anthropological Structures of the Imaginary is striking for its impressive synthesis of extraordinary erudition and far-ranging scholarship on the one hand and theoretical depth and analytical acumen on the other. We look forward to translations of Professor Durand's other studies in which he carries forward the important philosophical project begun in this work, which is truly a masterpiece in the scholarly literature of the imaginary."
John P. Clark
Professor of Philosophy
Loyola University, New Orleans
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