Editing Carlos Castaneda (section)

== Reception ==
The veracity of these books, and the existence of don Juan, was doubted from their original publication,<ref name="salon_2007"/> and there is now consensus among critics and scholars that the books are largely, if not completely, fictional.<ref name=Baron/><ref name="Leach"/><ref name="spicer_1969"/>

===Early responses===
In the early years after the publication of Castaneda's first book, ''The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge'' (1968), there was significant positive coverage and interest in his work. ''[[The New York Times]]'' published a review that praised the book's captivating storytelling and its portrayal of Don Juan as a "remarkable, almost legendary figure".{{sfn|Young|1968}} In 1971, ''[[Life Magazine]]'' included a review of ''A Separate Reality'', describing the book as "breathtaking" and focusing on the intrigue of his shamanic journey.{{sfn|Darrach|1971}} The ''[[Saturday Review (U.S. magazine)|Saturday Review]]'' highlighted the vividness of Castaneda's descriptions and his portrayal of Don Juan's teachings as thought-provoking and transformative.{{sfn|Levi|1971}} The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reviewed the book positively, emphasizing its impact on readers and its exploration of consciousness and reality. ''[[The Guardian]]'s'' review of the book acknowledged Castaneda's skill as a writer and his ability to create a sense of immersion in his narrative. ''[[Time Magazine]]'' ran a feature article on Castaneda in 1973 which acknowledged the controversy and skepticism surrounding Castaneda's account but highlighted the book's allure, describing it as "an extraordinary narrative".{{sfn|Burton|1973}}

===Later responses===
The veracity of Castaneda's work has been doubted since their original publication, even while reviewers praised the writing and storytelling.<ref name="salon_2007"/> For example, while [[Edmund Leach]] praised ''[[The Teachings of Don Juan]]'' as "a work of art," he doubted its factual authenticity.<ref name="Leach">{{cite journal | last =Leach | first =Edmund | author-link =Edmund Leach | date =June 5, 1969 | title =High School | journal =[[The New York Review of Books]] | volume =12 | issue =11 | issn =0028-7504 | url =http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1969/jun/05/high-school/ | access-date =October 13, 2010 | url-status =live | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20121013054317/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1969/jun/05/high-school/ | archive-date =October 13, 2012 }}</ref> Anthropologist E. H. Spicer offered a somewhat mixed review of the book, highlighting Castaneda's expressive prose and his vivid depiction of his relationship with don Juan. However, Spicer noted that the events described in the book were not consistent with other ethnographic accounts of Yaqui cultural practices, concluding it was unlikely that don Juan had ever participated in Yaqui group life. Spicer also wrote, "[It is] wholly gratuitous to emphasize, as the subtitle does, any connection between the subject matter of the book and the cultural traditions of the Yaquis."<ref name="spicer_1969">{{cite journal |last1=Spicer |first1=Edward H. |title=Review: The Teaching of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge |journal=American Anthropologist |date=April 1969 |volume=71 |issue=2 |pages=320–322 |doi=10.1525/aa.1969.71.2.02a00250 }}</ref>

In a series of articles, [[R. Gordon Wasson]], the ethnobotanist who made psychoactive mushrooms famous, similarly praised Castaneda's work, while expressing doubts about its accuracy.<ref>Wasson, R. Gordon. 1969. (Bk. Rev.). Economic Botany vol. 23(2):197. A review of Carlos Castaneda's "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.", Wasson, R. Gordon. 1972a. (Bk. Rev.). Economic Botany vol. 26(1):98–99. A review of Carlos Castaneda's "A Separate Reality: Further Conversations with Don Juan."; Wasson, R. Gordon. 1973a. (Bk. Rev.). Economic Botany vol. 27(1):151–152. A review of Carlos Castaneda's "Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan."; Wasson, R. Gordon. . 1974. (Bk. Rev.). Economic Botany vol. 28(3):245–246. A review of Carlos Castaneda's "Tales of Power."; Wasson, R. Gordon. 1977a. (Mag., Bk. Rev). Head vol. 2(4):52–53, 88–94. November.</ref>

An early unpublished review by anthropologist Weston La Barre was more critical and questioned the book's accuracy. The review, initially commissioned by ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'', was rejected and replaced by a more positive review from anthropologist Paul Riesman.<ref name="salon_2007"/>

Beginning in 1976, [[Richard de Mille]] published a series of criticisms that uncovered inconsistencies in Castaneda's field notes, as well as 47 pages of apparently plagiarized quotes.<ref name="salon_2007" />

Those familiar with Yaqui culture also questioned Castaneda's accounts, including anthropologist Jane Holden Kelley.{{sfn|Kelley|1978|pp=24–25}} Other criticisms of Castaneda's work include the total lack of Yaqui vocabulary or terms for any of his experiences, and his refusal to defend himself against the accusation that he received his PhD from UCLA through deception.{{sfn|Harris|2001|p=322}}

===Modern perspectives===
According to William W. Kelly, chair of the anthropology department at Yale University:

<blockquote>I doubt you'll find an anthropologist of my generation who regards Castaneda as anything but a clever con man. It was a hoax, and surely don Juan never existed as anything like the figure of his books. Perhaps to many it is an amusing footnote to the gullibility of naive scholars, although to me it remains a disturbing and unforgivable breach of ethics.<ref name="salon_2007" /></blockquote>

Sociologist David Silverman sees value in the work even while considering it fictional. In ''Reading Castaneda'' he describes the apparent deception as a critique of anthropology field work in general—a field that relies heavily on personal experience, and necessarily views other cultures through a lens. He said that the descriptions of [[peyote]] trips and the work's fictional nature were meant to place doubt on other works of anthropology.<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Silverman |year=1975 |title=Reading Castaneda: A Prologue to the Social Sciences |publisher=Routledge and Kegan Paul |isbn=978-0-7100-8146-9}}</ref>

Donald Wiebe cites Castaneda to explain the [[Emic and etic|insider/outsider problem]] as it relates to mystical experiences, while acknowledging the fictional nature of Castaneda's work.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Donald |last=Wiebe |contribution=Does Understanding Religion Require Religious Understanding? |editor-first=Russel T. |editor-last=McCutcheon |title=The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion |place=New York |publisher=Bath Press |year=1999 |page=263}}</ref>