The Modern Myths: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination

An epic study of classic novels, comics, and B-movies—and what they reveal about the nature of humanity in the modern age.

"Ball does an impressive job with the literary histories behind each iconic title, assembling a set of origin stories rich in cultural history and imagination. . . . To Ball, mythic writing is where the conditions of irrationality, superstition, and enchantment persist: forms of wonder that depend on the disconnect between what we know for sure and what we simply believe...