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The modern myths : adventures in the machinery of the popular imagination / Philip Ball.

By: Material type: TextLanguage: English Publisher: Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2021Description: 426 pages illustrations 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780226719269
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 809.915 23/swe
LOC classification:
  • PN56.M94
Other classification:
  • G.096z Mytologi
  • G.4
Contents:
How can a myth be modern? -- John Bull on a beach: Robinson Crusoe (1719) -- The reanimator: Frankenstein (1818) -- Unchaining the beast: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) -- The body and the blood: Dracula (1897) -- Who shall dwell in these worlds: The War of the Worlds (1897) -- Reason wears a deerstalker: The Sherlock Holmes stories (1887-1927) -- I am the law: Batman (1939-) -- Myths in the making, myths to come -- The mythic mode.
Summary: "Some stories keep returning, each time reimagined to fit the occasion. In some cases, we know them without having read the originals, and in a few brief sentences we can sketch the essential plot points and key characters. Robinson Crusoe, Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sherlock Holmes, Batman: their stories, Philip Ball contends, are among our modern myths. Written since Crusoe was published in 1719, these modern myths truly serve the same function as the stories of Thor and Loki, Hercules and Jason, and other ancient universal myths of creation, flood, redemption, and heroism. What is that function? Why are we still making myths? Why do we need new myths? And which are they? By posing these questions and seeking answers, The Modern Myths makes bold claims about the nature of storytelling, the condition of modernity, and the categories of literature. The themes and meanings of modern myths are decided collectively and dynamically and shift with the times. They escape the intentions of their authors because they inadvertently touch on issues that trouble and obsess us and become vehicles for exploring them. The Modern Myths takes a wide-ranging journey--discovering unexpected truths behind familiar tales, excavating strange and colorful histories, and finding hidden connections between them. The result is an exploration of how stories are created and how they evolve. And from this, Ball crafts provocative conclusions about the purposes and values of literature today and about the roles that new media and technology will play in creating the myths of tomorrow"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Cover image Item type Current library Home library Collection Shelving location Call number Materials specified Vol info URL Copy number Status Notes Date due Barcode Item holds Item hold queue priority Course reserves
Book Högskolan Väst Övre plan / Upper floor 809.915 Ball Available 6004300072179
Total holds: 0

Includes bibliographical references and index.

How can a myth be modern? -- John Bull on a beach: Robinson Crusoe (1719) -- The reanimator: Frankenstein (1818) -- Unchaining the beast: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) -- The body and the blood: Dracula (1897) -- Who shall dwell in these worlds: The War of the Worlds (1897) -- Reason wears a deerstalker: The Sherlock Holmes stories (1887-1927) -- I am the law: Batman (1939-) -- Myths in the making, myths to come -- The mythic mode.

"Some stories keep returning, each time reimagined to fit the occasion. In some cases, we know them without having read the originals, and in a few brief sentences we can sketch the essential plot points and key characters. Robinson Crusoe, Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sherlock Holmes, Batman: their stories, Philip Ball contends, are among our modern myths. Written since Crusoe was published in 1719, these modern myths truly serve the same function as the stories of Thor and Loki, Hercules and Jason, and other ancient universal myths of creation, flood, redemption, and heroism. What is that function? Why are we still making myths? Why do we need new myths? And which are they? By posing these questions and seeking answers, The Modern Myths makes bold claims about the nature of storytelling, the condition of modernity, and the categories of literature. The themes and meanings of modern myths are decided collectively and dynamically and shift with the times. They escape the intentions of their authors because they inadvertently touch on issues that trouble and obsess us and become vehicles for exploring them. The Modern Myths takes a wide-ranging journey--discovering unexpected truths behind familiar tales, excavating strange and colorful histories, and finding hidden connections between them. The result is an exploration of how stories are created and how they evolve. And from this, Ball crafts provocative conclusions about the purposes and values of literature today and about the roles that new media and technology will play in creating the myths of tomorrow"-- Provided by publisher.

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