Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes

How Myth and Religion Shape Fantasy Culture

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Reference, Comparative Religion
Cover of the book Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes by Douglas E. Cowan, University of California Press
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Author: Douglas E. Cowan ISBN: 9780520967274
Publisher: University of California Press Publication: February 26, 2019
Imprint: University of California Press Language: English
Author: Douglas E. Cowan
ISBN: 9780520967274
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication: February 26, 2019
Imprint: University of California Press
Language: English

Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes looks at fantasy film, television, and participative culture as evidence of our ongoing need for a mythic vision—for stories larger than ourselves into which we write ourselves and through which we can become the heroes of our own story. Why do we tell and retell the same stories over and over when we know they can’t possibly be true? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not because pop culture has run out of good ideas. Rather, it is precisely because these stories are so fantastic, some resonating so deeply that we elevate them to the status of religion. Illuminating everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Dungeons and Dragons, and from Drunken Master to Mad Max, Douglas E. Cowan offers a modern manifesto for why and how mythology remains a vital force today.
 

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Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes looks at fantasy film, television, and participative culture as evidence of our ongoing need for a mythic vision—for stories larger than ourselves into which we write ourselves and through which we can become the heroes of our own story. Why do we tell and retell the same stories over and over when we know they can’t possibly be true? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not because pop culture has run out of good ideas. Rather, it is precisely because these stories are so fantastic, some resonating so deeply that we elevate them to the status of religion. Illuminating everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Dungeons and Dragons, and from Drunken Master to Mad Max, Douglas E. Cowan offers a modern manifesto for why and how mythology remains a vital force today.
 

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