Poetics of Myth

"Serious students will savor Meletinsky's rich and complex book. The opening section alone is valuable for its erudite examination of modern theory about myth, with special attention to Levi-Strauss and the structuralists. Meletinsky grasps the essentials of theories he discusses and makes clear distinctions between them...Highly recommended for upper division undergraduates, graduate students, and teachers/scholars of myth." -- Choice"The Poetics of Myth merits attention for its claim that myth is always expanding: that stories told may always be retold, that a mythology received may also be renewed, that symbolic world-making is never quite complete." -- Religious Studies Review

• Forward Biographical Note Preface to the Russian Edition (1976) Part 1: Modern Theories of Myth and Approaches to Literature Part 2: The Classic Forms of Myth and Their Expression in Narrative Folklore Part 3: Mythification in Twentieth-Century Literature Bibliography Appendices Subject Index and Glossary Index of Literary Works Name Index