ABSTRACT

Laurence Coupe offers students a crucial overview of the evolution of 'myth', from the ancient Greek definitions to those of a range of contemporary thinkers. This introductory volume:

  • provides an introduction to both the theory of myth and the making of myth
  • explores the uses made of the term 'myth' within the fields of literary criticism, anthropology, cultural studies, feminism, Marxism and psychoanalysis
  • discusses the association between modernism, postmodernism, myth and history
  • familiarises the reader with themes such as the dying god, the quest for the grail, the relation between 'chaos' and 'cosmos', and the vision of the end of time
  • illustrates the relation between myth, culture and literature with discussions of poetry, fiction, film and popular song.

chapter |8 pages

Introduction

part |2 pages

PART I READING MYTH

chapter |2 pages

Introduction to Part I

chapter 1|13 pages

Order

chapter 2|13 pages

Chaos

chapter 3|15 pages

Ends

part |2 pages

PART II MYTHIC READING

chapter |2 pages

Introduction to Part II

chapter 4|18 pages

Truth

chapter 5|18 pages

Psyche

chapter 6|25 pages

History