Structure

The structure of the book is indicative both of Hyde’s guiding theoretical concerns and his expertise as a scholar and translator of poetics and poetry. As such, the text is divided, unequally, into two parts. Part One (“A Theory of Gifts”) contains Hyde’s historical, sociological, and anthropological examination of various gift exchange societies as well as his elucidation of the primary characteristic of the gift and the economies that partake in gift exchange. Part Two (“Two Experiments in Gift Aesthetics”) is Hyde’ application of the theories outlined in Part One to two objects of analysis that are specific to his own professed area of expertise.

Part One is structured in the form of a sustained and developing argument that draws upon existing scholarship on gift exchange and gift economies. Here, Hyde is primarily interested in building a case for the significance and benefits of gift...