Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths

by Eva M. Thury, Margaret K. Devinney

Overview

Integrating original texts with explanations, interpretations, and theory, Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths, Fourth Edition, introduces students to a wide range of myths drawn from sources all around the world and approached from various critical perspectives.

FEATURES

An innovative pedagogical structure helps students discern the complex web of literary allusions that characterize mythological texts

A global locator map at the beginning of each chapter situates the myths in their geographical context

Running margin notes provide cross-references and explanations of terms

A glossary of deities, an illustrated timeline, and suggested readings offer additional resources

A vibrant art program features more than 200 illustrations, photographs, and maps

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190262983
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/10/2016
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	944
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Eva M. Thury is Associate Professor of English at Drexel University.

Margaret K. Devinney is Associate Professor Emerita of German at Temple University.

Table of Contents

*=New to this Edition, Preface, Time LinePART I. INTRODUCTION TO STUDYING MYTH1. What Is Myth? 2. Ways of Understanding MythPART 2. MYTHS OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION2A. Creation3. Greece: Hesiod4. Rome: Ovid (Creation)5. The Bible: Genesis (Creation)6. Mesopotamia: Enuma Elish7. Icelandic/Norse: Prose Edda (Creation)8. North America: Stories from the Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo (Southwest); and from the Iroquois League (Northeastern Woodlands)9. Africa: Uganda and Nigeria10. China: Nü Kwa, Kuan Yin, and Monkey11. Mesoamerica: Popol Vuh2B. Destruction12. Rome: Ovid (Flood)13. The Bible: Genesis (Flood)14. Icelandic/Norse: Prose Edda (Ragnarok)PART 3. HEROES AND TRICKSTERS15. Theory: Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Dave Whomsley16. Mesopotamia: The Epic of Gilgamesh17. Applying Theory: A Lévi-Straussian Analysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh, G. S. Kirk18. India: The Ramayana19. Icelandic/Norse: Prose Edda (Heroes)* 20. Arthurian Legend: The Holy Grail, Donna Lynne Rondolone21. Africa: The Mwindo Epic22. Greece: Oedipus the King, Sophocles23. Theory: The Structural Study of Myth, Claude Lévi-Strauss24. North America: Raven25. African and African-American Trickster Stories26. Greece: Prometheus27. Applying Theory: Different Versions of MythsPART 4. RITUAL AND MYTH28. Theory: The Forest of Symbols, Victor Turner29. Greece: Demeter and Persephone30. Egypt: Isis and Osiris31. Applying Theory: Meals in the Bible, Mary Douglas32. Icelandic/Norse: The Rituals of Iceland, H.R. Ellis Davidson33. Greece: Heracles and DionysusPART 5. DREAMS AND MYTH34. Theory: Man and His Symbols, C.G. Jung35. Applying Theory: How to Perform a Jungian AnalysisPART 6. FOLKTALE AND MYTH36. Theory: The Morphology of the Folktale, Vladimir Propp37. Applying Theory: A Proppian Analysis of The Wizard of Oz38. Germany: Grimms' Household Tales39. Rome: "Cupid and Psyche," Apuleius40. Applying Theory: Highlighting Different Aspects of the Same Tale Using Multiple AnalysesPART 7. CONTEMPORARY MYTH41. Daniel Boone: Building the Myth around the Man, Richard Slotkin42. Stagecoach and Firefly: The Journey into the Unknown in Westerns and Science Fiction, Fred Erisman43. Harry Potter: A Rankian Analysis of the Hero of Hogwarts, M. Katherine Grimes44. The Vampire as Hero: Tales of the Undead in a Contemporary Context, Eva M. ThuryPART 8. LITERATURE AND MYTH45. Poetry and Myth46. "Yellow Woman": Native-American Oral Myth in a Contemporary Context, Leslie Marmon Silko47. Narrative and Myth, Glossary of Gods, Heroes, and Antiheroes, Additional Works Cited, Credits, Index

Editorial Reviews

"Introduction to Mythology is a first-class textbook. I have looked around at many other texts and there are very few with the breadth and depth of this book."—Marjorie Berman, Red Rocks Community College

"This is an excellent guide to world mythology for both students and teachers. It is especially helpful to a teacher trying to cover a lot of global ground in a comprehensive mythology course. Few would have the expertise commanded by the two authors to cover everything from Native American through African through contemporary film myths."—Micaela Janan, Duke University

"I've taught world mythology for twenty-five years, using a variety of texts over that time, and the Thury and Devinney textbook is by far the best and most valuable resource on the market. I have been using it since the first edition and haven't yet seen a superior work."—Marvin D. L. Lansverk, Montana State University

"Introduction to Mythology covers mythology and also introduces the notion of myth in contemporary narrative form, all the while offering a coherent analytical group of ideas to explain why these themes we find in mythology are still in our narratives today. And it does so in one book. It is the only book I know of that takes such a comprehensive approach to the subject."—Bob G. Warren, Valencia College

From the Publisher