Deadly Powers ─ Animal Predators and the Mythic Imagination

Trout (emeritus, English, Montana State U.) makes a case that fear of predators shaped human culture in general, and storytelling in particular. Among his topics are predators of the Pleistocene and beyond, mimetic storytelling in the Paleolithic, the predator as mythic monster, the predator as a god, and the predator as exemplar and object of envy.The Forward is by sociologist Barbara Ehrenreich, whose 1998 Blood Rites inspired him. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Paul A. Trout, professor emeritus at Montana State University, taught English for thirty-eight years. He has published widely on cultural and academic issues, and his articles have appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, Commonweal, the Christian Science Monitor, and other publications.