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

This book aims to look at stories that the author feels have taken on the same function as myths in the ancient world, covering seven stories ranging from Robinson Crusoe to Batman, via Frankenstein, Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, War of the Worlds and Sherlock Holmes.

I really enjoyed the book throughout, and the analysis of these stories and how they’ve permeated culture throughout the years was always interesting. The idea of them being modern myths comes from the fact that these stories have been told and retold repeatedly in different forms, with the originals, intentionally or not, not having a straight forward moral message and leaving things open for endless reinterpretations. I did find that central concept a bit vague in general show more though, often having to explain away aspects when a new work he’s covering doesn’t quite fit the criteria he set down for modern myths previously. It often felt just like reading general analysis of these works and their impact. I didn’t mind that though, since they’re all interesting subjects in their own right.

To be a little pedantic, there were a couple of slips that made me wary about the level of research put into the book. It was certainly worthwhile to draw comparisons between Sherlock Holmes and Mr Spock in Star Trek, but when he said that Leonard Nimoy had also “portrayed Holmes in the 1975 movie The Interior Motive”, it sent me trying to hunt down this film that I’d somehow managed to miss, only to eventually be disappointed to discover that it was actually just a 20 minute episode of a children’s educational show made for schools in Kentucky. Later on in the book, it’s mentioned that Superman had the power of flight when introduced in 1938 when actually he only gained that power several years later. It’s just nitpicking and they’re both just background details without any impact on the points the author is making, but once I’ve noticed things like that I start to wonder where else mistakes might be creeping in.

Fortunately, I didn’t notice any problems like that with any of the important facts in the book, and I still very much enjoyed reading it from beginning to end, and any times I thought the theme of the book was unclear where more than made up for by the interesting thoughts and connections that were being brought up. I love reading this sort of thing and would have happily kept on reading for many more chapters. show less

This was an extremely enjoyable dip into literary criticism. Ball takes ahold of a focused definition of a 'myth' (not mapping onto common language but also not idiosyncratic): a story which is somewhat ambiguous or ill defined often even in its first incarnation and so is extremely mutable, with numerous retellings, and serves as the projection of cultural themes (sometimes contradictory). Following along with each example of popular literature, and the chain of cultural effects, this perspective becomes ever more engaging (although not without some head scratching, I'm still trying to give Ball the benefit of the doubt in the claim that Batman is a myth whereas Superman is not). Anyone who enjoys reading the occasional nonfiction show more about the fantastic fiction they love will enjoy this one. show less

A fun, fascinating look at what Ball terms "modern myths." This work discusses Robinson Crusoe; Frankenstein; Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde; Dracula; War of the Worlds; Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes; and Batman. Each work is discussed thoroughly, from the influences and themes that led to each tale's creation, to an analysis of the work, and then an examination of its influence in modern culture, including books and films.

Ball's in depth look at each work is fascinating. As a fan of Frankenstein and Dracula, I enjoyed taking a "deep dive" into the works. But you don't have to be a superfan of a work to enjoy the book. Ball provides a well written recap of each story, so you can enjoy each section even if you're new to the work. I found this show more very helpful for his discussion of Robinson Crusoe, a work I have never read.

All in all, a very enjoyable read. show less

Had trouble getting into this one. I guess I don't buy interpretations that aren't deeply rooted in the text itself. Making claims attention-getting claims is easy and fun, I guess, and you can use that as a jumping-off point for even more speculation. But in the end it feels like a parlor trick, making those kinds of extended arguments without much, if any, textual evidence to support you. "How long can I keep this up, how far can I take this?" Reminds me too much of college Lit. essays with a weak thesis and 35 pages to fill.

[Disclaimer: I got this book via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program]
Philip Ball is a science writer, who was an editor at Nature for more than 20 years. This time he wrote a book a bit far from his usual themes: The Modern Myths tells us about how even in modern times a new myth may be born, different from the Greek classics ones because people see the world in a different way. He chooses seven plus one seminal works. Robinson Crusoe, the self-made man; Frankenstein, the reanimator; Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the beast within us; Dracula, the blood as life generator; The War of the Words, aliens and destructions; Sherlock Holmes, antihuman logic; Batman, beyond the law; and zombies' stories, which for him have potential to become a myth show more but aren't yet.
Ball advocates that «Myths are not made in times of conflict and revolution. They come from the stress and unease that precedes or follows a seismic shock, not from the shock itself» and that they are born because they feed a need. They may refer to science, but they addresses something which is not rational. The works which start the myth are not well crafted at all, and this allow other people to bowdlerize them first, then to reevaluate them and finally to create parodies and spoofs which are telltale signs of a full-winged myth.
The book is fully researched, maybe even too much: I had some problems in following the history of all the reincarnations of the various myths. But I think that this book helps the reader to understand why some themas are ubiquitous. show less

I thank the publishers for a free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

This was a very readable exploration of literature from the 19th and 20th century which the author argues contain elements of/give rise to myth. Although I have no background in modern literature (my main interest is classical mythology), I found the analyses and discussions easy to follow and thought-provoking.

What I didn't manage to keep a grasp on was where the author was heading with each chapter, ie where the evidence fitted into his big picture. Statements such as: "Myths can arise from modern stories" or "Myths aren't dead" (these aren't quotes!) feel vague as a framework, but that was all I could keep in mind when I wondered where the book was going. show more Since my expectation was of an academic book, I had thought there would be more overt argument. Each work discussed was certainly of interest, but the chapters felt self-contained rather than eg building to a final conclusion. Now, this may be totally on me because of my lack of background in the field. But I wouldn't have minded a more explicit (and repeated) roadmap, so to say.

I think this book would appeal to anyone interested in stories and cultural phenomena. show less