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Title:
Introduction to mythology : contemporary approaches to classical and world myths / Eva M. Thury, Margaret K. Devinney.
Author:
Thury, Eva M.

Devinney, Margaret Klopfle, 1941-
Publication Information:
New York : Oxford University Press, 2009.
Call Number:
BL312 .T48 2009
Abstract:
From the Publisher: The only complete world mythology textbook available, Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths, Second Edition, integrates original texts with explanations, interpretations, theory, and numerous pedagogical aids to introduce students to a wide range of myths from various critical perspectives. Featuring texts from sources around the world, it includes readings from Greek and Roman classics (by Homer, Hesiod, Ovid, and other writers); Nordic mythology (by Snorri Sturluson); Hindu culture (The Ramayana); Chinese mythology (Nu Kwa; new to this edition) and from such ancient works as The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Bible, and the Mesopotamian story of Enuma Elish (new to this edition). Selections from Native-American sources and folktales and stories from Africa, Germany, and the United States are also included. In addition, authors Eva Thury and Margaret Devinney draw comparisons between classical myths and such contemporary cultural phenomena as The X Files, Star Trek, Mother Goose, and, new to this edition, Harry Potter, Stagecoach, and Firefly. They also incorporate readings by Carl Jung, Claude Levi-Strauss, Victor Turner, and other scholars who consider mythic material from different analytical perspectives. Finally, traditional works by writers like John Milton and John Keats as well as those by contemporary authors like Anne Sexton, John Updike, Angela Carter, and James Joyce are presented as examples of literary texts with mythological roots. Introduction to Mythology uses an innovative pedagogical structure to help students unravel the complex web of literary allusions often found in mythological texts: Extensive marginal notes provide cross-references and explanations of terms and culture-specific concepts; A glossary of deities and suggested readings for each chapter offer students additional resources; An improved and refined art program features more than 200 illustrations, photographs, and maps; An illustrated timeline places the readings in relation to each other and to historical and cultural events and artifacts; A Student's Website contains chapter objectives and summaries, key terms, study questions, self-tests, and off-site links of interest; An Instructor's Manual includes key terms, pedagogical suggestions, study questions and projects, and sample objective test questions for each chapter.
Edition:
2nd ed.
ISBN:
9780195332940
Physical Description:
xvi, 710 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.) ; 26 cm.
Subject Term:
Contents:
Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Time line -- Part 1: Introduction To Studying Myth -- What is myth? -- Ways of understanding myth -- Part 2: Myths Of Creation And Destruction -- Part 2A: Myths of creation -- Greek creation stories -- Ovid's creation story -- Biblical creation stories -- Enuma Elish: a Mesopotamian creation story -- Prose Edda's creation stories -- Native American creation stories from the Southwestern United States -- African creation stories -- Nu kwa: a Chinese creator goddess -- Part 2B: Myths Of Destruction -- Ovid's flood story -- Biblical flood stories -- Ragnarok -- Part 3: Heroes And Tricksters -- Hero with a thousand faces: the book by Joseph Campbell, discussed by Dave Whomsley -- Epic of Gilgamesh -- Levi-Straussian analysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh / G S Kirk -- Ramayana -- Heroes in the Prose Edda / Snorri Sturleson -- Oedipus the king / Sophocles -- Structural study of myth / Claude Levi-Strauss -- Raven: a native American trickster -- Mwindo epic -- African and African-American trickster stories -- Prometheus: the Greek trickster -- Looking back at heroes: the different versions of a myth -- Part 4: Ritual And Myth -- Ritual / Victor Turner -- Demeter and Persephone: the Homeric Hymn to Demeter -- Isis and Osiris -- Deciphering a meal / Mary Douglas -- Rituals of Northern Europe / H R Ellis Davidson -- Heracles and Dionysus -- Part 5: Myths And Dreams -- Man and his symbols / C G Jung -- How to perform a Jungian analysis of a myth or fairytale -- Part 6: Folktale And Myth -- Morphology of the folktale / Vladimir Propp -- Proppian analysis of The wizard of Oz -- Household tales / Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm -- Cupid and Psyche / Apuleius -- Using multiple analyses to highlight different aspects of the same tale -- Part 7: Myth In A Contemporary Context -- Study of the construction of the Daniel Boone myth -- Stagecoach and Firefly: science fiction and the journey into the unknown -- Harry Potter: a Rankian take on the hero of Hogwarts -- Part 8: Myth And Literature -- Mythological themes in poetry -- Mythological themes in native American literature -- Mythological themes in modern narrative -- Glossary of gods, heroes, and antiheroes -- Additional works cited -- Art credits -- Index.
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