Abstract
This article works with the transmedial case-study of Neil Gaiman's American Gods to explore the ways that classical myth is being utilised in contemporary culture. It argues that Gaiman provides a model for repurposing ancient material without reproducing the traditional hierarchies associated with cultures of storytelling. Classical mythology per se is not given a role in the novel: instead the figure of Herodotus is present throughout in the syndechdocal form of a copy of the Histories. Myth itself is not rejected, but the provincialism of competing claims to religious truth is displaced in favour of a model whereby a living mythology that reflects the pluralism of contemporary America becomes a social force. The specific characteristics of myth as opposed to literature are central here: authors may lay claim to particularly dominant versions of popular stories and lend their prestige to them: no one owns myth
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Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 299-322 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Classical Receptions Journal |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 17 Apr 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2020 |
Research Groups and Themes
- Institute of Greece, Rome, and the Classical Tradition
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Dive into the research topics of 'Contemporary Mythopoiesis: The Role of Herodotus in Neil Gaiman's American Gods'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Profiles
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Dr Vanda D Zajko
- Department of Classics & Ancient History - Associate Professor in Classics
- Digital Cultures and Methods
Person: Academic , Member