Myths and Ancient Stories: Narrative, Meaning and Influence in the West
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Overview
An introduction to ancient myths and the critical discussions that surround them, this book dives into the stories of pre-modern culture, taking a comparative look at how they have shaped the West and modern storytelling as we have come to understand it today.
It makes texts and scholarship from near Eastern, Classical and Celtic disciplines engaging and accessible, and traces narrative meaning through stories from ancient Mesopotamia to the BritishMedieval Period, offering compelling pathways into such writings as The Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis and Job, The Odyssey, The Mabinogi, The Life of St Cadoc and Sir Orfeo. Looking at each in detail, Myths and Ancient Stories also explores myth through a modern lens, probing at how, in this scientific age, it continues to inspire contemporary film, games and literary works such as those by, Margaret Atwood, Colm Tóibín, Madeleine Miller and Pat Barker.
Impressive in breadth and bringing together a wide range of foundational texts from diverse traditions for the first time, this work is the ideal orientation to the ancient works central to English literary culture, shedding light on the mythological roots of storytelling and narrative.
An introduction to myth and key texts from the ancient world to offer of an understanding of the mythological roots that underpin modern narrative and storytelling
The first text to offer an accessible introduction to mythology for literary studies students where the topic has growing prominence in early undergraduate courses
Explains key myths central to the Western literary traditions and reveals their importance to the modern world and culture
Broad but still comprehensive, it offers introductions to key ancient texts very rarely discussed in a single volume including The Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis and Job, The Odyssey, The Mabinogi Cycle, The Life of St Cadoc and Sir Orfeo
Makes scholarship from ancient Near Eastern, Classical and Celtic disciplines accessible
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part one: myth decoded
1. Defining and interpreting myth
2. Myth and science
Part two: myth narrated
Introduction to part two
3. The Epic of Gilgamesh
4. The Book of Genesis
5. The Book of Job
6. The Odyssey
Part three: myth rewritten
7. From myth to romance: The Life of St Cadoc and Sir Orfeo
8. The Four Branches of The Mabinogi
9. Myth today
Glossary
References
Myth is everywhere, but it is often invisible to the untrained eye. This lucid and compelling book provides readers with an ideal guide to this complex field, helping them identify and define myths and helping them read them.
- Title: Myths and Ancient Stories: Narrative, Meaning and Influence in the West
- Author: Kevin Mills
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 216
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781350346864, 9781350346857, 1350346853, 1350346861
- Resource ID: LLS:9781350346864
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T10:14:05Z