I've been studying the myth of Cupid and Psyche, and this is the best book I've found so far to dig into the deeper levels of the story as found in Apuleius.

In the beginning I was sceptical about what a man writing in the early 1950's might have to say about the "development of the feminine" -- but Neumann's interpretation of the mythic elements of the story seemed right on target. He also avoided the trap many other authors have fallen into; rather than creating a moralistic story by tweaking the original tale or omitting key elements in order to force it to conform to a particular paradigm of spiritual growth, he grapples with the story in its entirety.

Even if a person did not agree with his specific, Jungian interpretation, Neumann does provide an excellent example of how a myth can yield deeper meaning by looking at each act and each character or figure as more than it first appears. ( )

ROSALIE said: "A book that somehow stirs memories in my brain, this one needs to be read for a class, I think, or discussed with someone who is reading it for a class. It covers the evolution of the feminine psyche through myth and stories of Psyche, Aphrodite and...more A book that somehow stirs memories in my brain, this one needs to be read for a class, I think, or discussed with someone who is reading it for a class. It covers the evolution of the feminine psyche through myth and stories of Psyche, Aphrodite and others. Over half the book is discussion of all this, but even that was a struggle for me to get through on my own. Perhaps I'm just not patient enough. ( )