The Bear: History of a Fallen King (Michel Pastoureau)

My thoughts on political symbology, in particular that of Foundationalism, through the prism of this erudite book on European bears and their cultural history.

The written version of this review can be found here:

https://theworthyhouse.com/2021/08/20/the-bear-history-of-a-fallen-king-michel-pastoureau/

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This and all Worthy House narrations are offered with accurate closed captions (not auto-generated).

"Symbology is a key element of any successful modern political movement. Animals are rarely modern political symbols; certainly modern mass ideologies, from Communism to National Socialism, have eschewed such symbology. Living creatures, whose exalted metaphorical political use was once widespread, are now usually mere lowbrow holdovers from the more distant past—elephants and donkeys, for example. Yet America, when it was America, used the majestic bald eagle with great success, and I think that when we seize the future, we need outstanding symbology. In this light, I am working on the symbology of Foundationalism, and this interesting book helped me focus my thoughts." . . . .