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With The Modern Myths, brilliant science communicator Philip Ball spins a new yarn. From novels and comic books to B-movies, it is an epic exploration of literature, new media and technology, the nature of storytelling, and the making and meaning of our most important tales. Myths are usually seen as stories from the depths of time—fun and fantastical, but no longer believed by anyone. Yet, as Philip Ball shows, we are still writing them—and still living them—today. From Robinson Crusoe and Frankenstein to Batman, many stories written in the past few centuries are commonly, perhaps glibly, called “modern myths.” But Ball argues that we should take that idea seriously. Our stories of Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Sherlock Holmes are doing the kind of cultural work that the ancient myths once did. Through the medium of narratives that all of us know in their basic outline and which have no clear moral or resolution, these modern myths explore some of our deepest fears, dreams, and anxieties. We keep returning to these tales, reinventing them endlessly for new uses. But what are they really about, and why do we need them? What myths are still taking shape today? And what makes a story become a modern myth? In The Modern Myths, Ball takes us on a wide-ranging tour of our collective imagination, asking what some of its most popular stories reveal about the nature of being human in the modern age.
A study of one of popular culture's superstars whose enchanting mystique pervades the modern world
Novels and films record and codify the cultural experiences of their people. This book explores the relationship between contemporary literature and film of the past fifty years and the ancient myths of Judeo-Christian, Greek, Celtic, and Eastern origin. Following a detailed description and explanation of both literary and film devices, stories that inform to a mythic tradition are analyzed to identify what they reveal about modern culture. This work explores such diverse subjects as heroism, coming of age, and morality. This approach to literature and film explores how contemporary fiction and film fulfill a continuum in our never-ending search to understand how life ought to be lived. Encompassing a broad spectrum of modern film and fiction, a variety of authors and directors are represented. Included are novels from such writers as Stephen King, Alice Walker, Ken Kesey, Jerzy Kosinski, Robert Penn Warren, and Michael Ondaatje. Film directors include Stephen Spielberg, Hal Ashby, Phil Alden Robinson, George Stevens, Robert Rossen, and Milos Forman. As a valuable resource for film and literature classes alike, this work also provides suggestions for student projects.
A book on modern mythology
"This new edition of MYTHOLOGIES is the first complete, authoritative English version of the French classic, Roland Barthes's most emblematic work"--
This text analyzes the Japanese psyche through the Japanese language, and the myths and misconceptions that have been built around it.
What is the role of scientists in society? What should we think when they talk about more than just science? Mary Midgley discusses the high spiritual ambitions which tend to gather around the notion of science.
Examining the nature of myth-making and its surprising appearance in popular science writing.
In this new work Michel Serres, France's foremost philosopher of science, explores how traditional images of angels in art and legend foretell the preoccupations of modern life. Divided, as between Heaven and Hell, into First and Third Worlds, our societies search for ways to make contact, both by means of the most basic interpersonal relations and high-tech communications. The role of the messenger, Serres argues, is as important now as it was in Biblical times, perhaps more, and yet we lack a philosophy which can explain this role - a philosophy of movement, of communication. Angels: A Modern Myth offers such a philosophy, showing how angels as message-bearers are still part of our modern world, our means of bringing together and understanding science, law, and religion, and perhaps also the means of satisfying our need for reason, justice, and consolation. Abundantly illustrated with an astounding breadth of images ranging from Renaissance paintings to film stills, satellite photographs, computer microchips, and medical microscopy, this thought-provoking book addresses some of the most crucial issues of our time and will make essential reading for anyone seeking to comprehend the new phase of human development engendered by the transformation of our world by information technology.