One of the great things about having a website like this is discovering people engaged in the same kinds of reflections on the fantastic in pop culture that I am involved in. It gets even better when I get to develop relationships with these people, and then discuss their thinking.
This is the case with the editors of the forthcoming book Millennial Mythmaking: Essays on the Power of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, Films and Games (McFarland, 2010). I first encountered the work of John Perlich and David Whitt as editors of their first book along similar lines, Sith, Slayers, Stargates, + Cyborgs: Modern Mythology in the New Millennium (Peter Lang Publishing, 2008). They graciously provided me with samples from this volume and then consented to an informative interview here.
Millennial Mythmaking promises to take up where Sith left off and to expand our horizons on sci fi and fantasy as contemporary myth. The product description at Amazon.com reads as follows:
Contemporary myths, particularly science fiction and fantasy texts, can provide commentary on who we are as a culture, what we have created, and where we are going. These nine essays from a variety of disciplines expand upon the writings of Joseph Campbell and the hero’s journey. Modern examples of myths from various sources such as Planet of the Apes, Wicked, Pan’s Labyrinth,and Spirited Away; the Harry Potter series; and Second Life are analyzed as creative mythology and a representation of contemporary culture and emerging technology.
Millennial Mythmaking will be available in May 2010 with pre-orders possible now. Look for an interview with Perlich and Whitt here after mid-January.
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