Myth-Building in Modern Media

Mythology for centuries has served as humanity’s window into understanding its distant past. In our modern world, storytelling creates its own myths and legends, in media ranging from the world of television and cinema to literature and comic books, that help us make sense of the world we live in today. What is the “Mytharc”? How did it arise? How does it inform modern long-form storytelling? How does the classical hero’s journey intersect with modern myths and narratives? And where might the storytelling of tomorrow take readers and viewers as we imagine our future? From The X-Files to H.P. Lovecraft, from Lost to the Marvel cinematic universe and many worlds beyond, this study explores our modern storytelling mythology and where it may lead us.

A.J. Black writes and podcasts about popular culture in entertainment on his blog, Cultural Conversation, and podcast network “We Made This.” He lives in Birmingham, England.

A.J. Black

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 213
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7563-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3755-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface: What Is the Mytharc? 1
1. Before the Mytharc 7
2. The Monomytharc 22
3. The Divine Mytharc 56
4. The Cultural Mytharc 90
5. Mytharcs That Never Were 121
6. The Future of the Mytharc 131
7. Finding the Mytharc 156
Chapter Notes 159
Bibliography 193
Index 199