The Queen of the Air is a study in the mythology of Athene, and her relation to the natural phenomena of the air. Ruskin completed this work in 1869, which is 21 years before Frazer published the Golden Bough - probably the most famous and complete work of comparative mythology. A quote from Ruskin illustrates the his belief in the value of myths: "The first requirement, then, for the right reading of myth, is the understanding... that it is founded on constant laws common to all human nature, that it perceives, however darkly, things which are for all ages true."
If one has not read much comparative mythology, the quote may seem somewhat mysterious, but the reader who is familiar with these will recognise that he is quite right, and this book seeks in small measure to demonstrate this. These "constant laws common to all human nature", are the very same as the psychological phenomena later described by the psychologist C.G. Jung as The Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious.
Part of the value of this book therefore lies in its revealing of natural truths behind the myths, but there is more to it than this. Ruskin's appreciation of certain aspects of the natural world, his method of describing them, and his general range of interests, are somewhat reminiscent of that of the original essayist, Francis Bacon. What can be seen to a greater degree though is the association that Ruskin had with the Pre-Raphaelites; this work digresses into the poetical, the literary, and the artistic, on which Ruskin also wrote complete works. In addition to this, there is a very Victorian digression into political economy, which is particularly interesting and topical with regard to the current printing of money, and unemployment issues.
While much Victorian literature is tiresome to read, this is not so, and is a good example of both literary and academic merit. ( )