The Golden Bough
"The Golden Bough" (1890) by anthropologist Sir James George Frazer is a comparative study of mythology and religion. Frazer examined shared elements of religious belief and scientific thought, discussing fertility rites, human sacrifice, the dying god, the scapegoat, and similar lasting symbols and practices. The book and Frazer's methodology were and remain controversial. Paglia, in commenting on the book's influence on her 1990 writing, said of it: "(it speculates) analogy between Jesus and the dying gods ... a model of intriguing specificity wed to speculative imagination ... many details in Frazer have been contradicted or superseded ... but ... inspirational for enterprising students seeking escape from today's sterile academic climate." The other options are books on the same or similar subjects but published in the 20th century.
