Myth in the Modern Novel

Myth in the Modern Novel: Imagining the Absolute posits a twofold thesis. First, although Modernity is regarded as an era dominated by science and rational thought, it has in fact not relinquished the hold of myth, a more "primitive" form of thought which is difficult to reconcile with modern rationality. Second, some of the most important statements as to the reconcilability of myth and Modernity are found in the work of certain prominent novelists. This book offers a close examination of the work of eleven writers from the late eighteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first, representing German, French, American, Czech and Swedish literature. The analyses of individual novels reveal a variety of intriguing views of myth in Modernity, and offer an insight into the "modernizing" transformations myth has undergone when applied in the modern novel. The study shows the presence of the "subconscious", the mythic layer, in modern western culture and how this has been dealt with in novelistic literature.

Author: Liisa Steinby
Publisher: de Gruyter
Published: 03/06/2023
Pages: 557
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.27lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 1.38d
ISBN13: 9783111026343
ISBN10: 3111026345
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
- Religion | General

About the Author

Liisa Steinby, University of Turku, Finland.