Kelly is an instructor of creative writing and literature at College of Lake County. In this essay, Kelly considers whether the reputation that Frazer's book has maintained since its first printing will carry on into the future.

There is every reason in the world to believe that Sir James Frazer's name will be remembered for many years, due to the resounding importance of his masterpiece, The Golden Bough. The book had a powerful impact when it was first published in 1890, reaching beyond the usual academic audience that reads such scholarly works and finding a place in the public consciousness. Between then and his death in 1941, Frazer kept the work in the public eye with subsequent additions and expansions. Since then, the book has never gone out of print.

On the other hand, it would be easy to believe that The Golden Bough has outlived its usefulness. Frazer's...