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Paperback Hardback eBook
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Published 01-10-2015
ISBN 9780522868449
Pages 256
Subjects Society and culture: general
Imprint MUP Digital

The Politics of Myth

Stephen Knight

Formats

Paperback Hardback eBook
Share
Published 01-10-2015
ISBN 9780522868449
Pages 256
Subjects Society and culture: general
Imprint MUP Digital

Mythical figures are more than fantasy: they have their own politics. They dramatise issues of social importance and they can change to interpret new contexts and concerns.

In The Politics of Myth, Stephen Knight studies nine figures still vividly alive, all of them appearing in twenty-first century film and television. Analysing how they relate to the major themes of Power, Resistance and Knowledge, he shows how fact and fiction mix to help us explore and understand the complexities of our world.

Surprising mythic shifts occur across time. Robin Hood can be a tough anti-authoritarian, a genial aristocrat, a Saxon patriot; Queen Elizabeth I has been seen as a Protestant heroine, a love-lorn lady, even a grumpy manipulator. From Merlin's multiple manifestations and Sherlock Holmes's smoking habits to the ongoing arguments about Ned Kelly, this book explores the richness and the range of figures of myth.

About The Author

Stephen Knight worked as a Professor of Literature in Australia and Britain, focusing on the inter-relationship of culture and society, publishing many books and essays, with major work on King Arthur, Merlin, Robin Hood and world crime fiction. He is currently an Honorary Research Professor at the University of Melbourne.