Part-goat, part-man, Pan bridges the divide between the human and animal worlds. In exquisite prose, Paul Robichaud explores how Pan has been imagined in mythology, art, literature, music, spirituality and popular culture through the centuries. At times, Pan is a dangerous, destabilizing force; at others, a source of fertility and renewal. His portrayals reveal shifting anxieties about our own animal impulses and our relationship to nature. Always the outsider, he has been the god of choice for gay writers, occult practitioners, and New Age mystics. Though ancient sources announced his death, he has lived on through the work of Arthur Machen, Gustav Mahler, Kenneth Grahame, D. H. Lawrence and countless others. Pan: The Great God's Modern Return traces his intoxicating dance.

About the Author
Paul Robichaud is Professor and Chair of English at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut. He is the author of Making the Past Present: David Jones, the Middle Ages, and Modernism (2007), and his poems have appeared in various magazines, including Agenda and the Hudson Review.

Reviews
'A fascinating account of a strange god with meme-like reach across the ages, and a study in the temporal shape-shifting of mythology itself.' - The Spectator; 'Paul Robichaud's Pan: The Great God's Modern Return tracks the god from his origins as a guardian of Arcadian shepherds to his modern forms of trickster god primarily in the young adult genre of fiction. Along the way Robichaud examines the artwork, poetry, literature, and even music with Pan as the central figure. His prose paints a gorgeous picture of the misunderstood god and how changes in societal norms have erased or enhanced various aspects of the god over time.' - Folklore; 'The multiple identities and reincarnations of Pan are eloquently examined by Paul Robichaud in this fascinating book. Every age has its own version of Pan that echoes his Greek origins . . . This book is probably the most extensive study of Pan attempted. And it's very well written. Robichaud is not only an academic but a published poet and it shows in the elegance of his sentences - sensitive and careful attention is given to the shades of meaning attached to Pan . . . And it's not just the words but the images that captivate. The book has a generous number of colour illustrations . . . If you are looking for a pleasurable source book on everything about Pan than Paul Robinchaud's is it. An important and self-recommending study. I loved it.' - Alan Price, Magonia Review of Books; 'If you are interested in Pan in any way, from his presence in literature or art to his magical presence in myth and vision, and the myriad ways that his shape flits throughout human history, be it on the edges or in our midst, then Pan: The Great God's Modern Return is simply a must-purchase. It is, without doubt, the most wide-ranging treatment of the goat-foot god I've ever read, combining thorough attention to detail and research, yet at the same time highly accessible to a general reader . . . This book is a tremendous achievement and deserves a treasured place on the bookshelf of anyone who hearkens to the call of Pan.' - Enfolding.org; 'Simply the most wide-ranging and up-to-date exploration of the impact of Pan on the Western imagination yet written.' - Ronald Hutton, author of The Triumph of the Moon; 'We get the pleasure of seeing this goat-like god pop up everywhere from classic children's literature to romantic novels to early environmentalist tracts . . . The result is a tour de force.' - Pericles Lewis, author of The Cambridge Introduction to Modernism



Book Information
ISBN 9781789146905
Author Paul Robichaud
Format Paperback
Page Count 344
Imprint Reaktion Books
Publisher Reaktion Books