Frederick Mathewson Denny

Ritual Masks

World Religions

“FROM THE SERIES EDITOR'S PREFACE: Among the more intriguing aspects of the study of comparative religions has been the exoticism perceived in cultures that are radically "other" than our own. Perhaps no phenomenon has expressed this sense of otherness better than the ritual mask and its uses. In 'Ritual Masks: Deception and Revelations'...Henry Pernet examines closely actual masks and their contexts and uses, in light of which he tests major trends in Western interpretation of them. The author's findings, based on a very extensive analysis of the literature in a variety of languages, are that several of the widely accepted and perpetuated theories of masking are groundless, or at least very limited in application. The author's main conclusions are easily summarized: the mask is not universal, it has not existed in all times, it does not represent principally spirits or the dead, and the mask is not generally used to enable its wearer to "become" what is represented.”