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The Mythological Dimensions of Neil Gaiman
THE MYTHOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF NEIL GAIMAN is an award winning collection of in-depth essays on the art and style of prolific author Neil Gaiman.
Winner of the 2012 President's Gold Medal of The Florida Publisher's Association
Written by scholars and fans, the collection is accessible yet knowledgeable of all things Gaiman. (This is the second in Kitsune Books' "Mythological Dimensions" series - the first focused on the Doctor Who TV series).
"The Mythological Dimensions of Neil Gaiman is a must-have for anybody interested in the history and development of fantasy." -Delia Sherman, author of The Freedom Maze
"Neil Gaiman has clearly captured the imagination of a generation of fantasy readers, including the authors featured in this book." -Matthew Dow Smith, Illustrator and Writer
Winner of the 2012 President's Gold Medal of The Florida Publisher's Association
Written by scholars and fans, the collection is accessible yet knowledgeable of all things Gaiman. (This is the second in Kitsune Books' "Mythological Dimensions" series - the first focused on the Doctor Who TV series).
"The Mythological Dimensions of Neil Gaiman is a must-have for anybody interested in the history and development of fantasy." -Delia Sherman, author of The Freedom Maze
"Neil Gaiman has clearly captured the imagination of a generation of fantasy readers, including the authors featured in this book." -Matthew Dow Smith, Illustrator and Writer
- GenresNonfictionReference
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2012
3 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Anthony S. Burdge
8 books14 followersAnthony S. Burdge, an independent scholar, was first introduced to the existence of Secondary Worlds via the work of J.R.R Tolkien at an early age. Since taking that first journey out of Bag End with Bilbo, he has traveled with the Doctor, hitchhiked with Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect, been a crew member aboard the USS Enterprise, walked under an eldritch moon toward R’yleh and entered the realms of the Sandman many times.
In addition to his academic articles on various topics ranging from Mythopoeic fiction to local lore and legend, Anthony is grateful to be a part of collections such as The J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, Translating Tolkien, Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature, You and WHO 2, plus working with authors across the planet for the Mythological Dimensions series, The Mythological Dimensions of Doctor Who
In addition to his academic articles on various topics ranging from Mythopoeic fiction to local lore and legend, Anthony is grateful to be a part of collections such as The J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, Translating Tolkien, Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature, You and WHO 2, plus working with authors across the planet for the Mythological Dimensions series, The Mythological Dimensions of Doctor Who
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 7, 2017
I discovered Sandman when I was fifteen. I was working in a bookstore at the time, and a friend handed me the second issue in “The Doll’s House” arc. He said, “I think you’ll like this.” He was right. The next day, I found a comic book store and signed up for a subscription box. I also walked out with every back issue I could find. Gaiman had me in his hand.
It’s now several decades later. My bookshelves have first-editions of almost every single one of his works, from short story collections and novels to the massive The Absolute Sandman volumes. I have t-shirts. I have prints. I have statues and even bottles of perfume. Those books and items share space with mythology and folklore books and rightly so—Gaiman has a gift for the exceptional weaving of classic myths from nearly every culture with his own stories and characters. And every time I read yet another flawless melding, I ask, often with awe, “How does he do it?” Given the essays in The Mythological Dimensions of Neil Gaiman, I am clearly not the only one.
The essays in this collection are not the only ones out there, of course. Gaiman and his creations offer academics a tremendous wealth of options for further study (and I would imagine a lot of high school students have realized this as well). But this collection attempts to showcase some of the best, or at least the most thoughtful, and put them in one handy volume. Gaiman himself helped spread the word for papers to be considered for the books, via his twitter and blog.
I can’t imagine what the editors must have gone through to choose the essays that ultimately wound up here. Given the wide variety of mythological subject matter that can be tied back to Gaiman’s stories (vagina dentata, anyone?), I wonder what types of studies didn’t make the cut. Did someone try to compare and contrast Morpheus, the Dreamlord, with Morpheus of The Matrix? How many papers discussed Death and DEATH, of Discworld fame? (That would seem almost a given, since Pratchett and Gaiman collaborated on the outstanding Good Omens.) What were the weirdest, the craziest, the most complex?
I bet there was enough in the “Rejected” pile for a second volume. And after reading through this one, I have to admit I’d kinda dig that. I love delving deeper, and clearly so did the essayists. Kristine Larsen, for example, offers a study of light and color in Gaiman’s works; reading it, I was amazed that I’d never noticed the preponderance of such descriptions in the novels and stories. What the Italiangiallos did for film, Gaiman does for storytelling; color and light are reflective of a spectrum far wider than what can be seen in the prism. Or the lab.
Melody Green’s complex (perhaps the most complex of all the essays, actually) “Ravens, Librarians, and Beautiful Ladies: Bakhtinian Dialogueism in the Gothic Mythology of Neil Gaiman and George MacDonald” tackles religious mythology by comparing Gaiman to Victorian pastor and novelist George MacDonald via the philosophical and critical precepts of Mikhail Bakhtin, a Russian literary critic known for his theory of dialogueism: “every literary production...exists in dialogue with writings that had been created earlier. Each [new] text...is a commentary on, or response to, or continuation of texts and stories that came before it.” If your head is spinning a bit, don’t worry—Green’s essay will make it easier to understand.
I could keep listing examples, but that would make this review far longer than it needs to be. And the truth is this collection only scratches the surface of what else can be gleaned from Gaiman’s imaginative prose. Now, admittedly, this is not a surface everyone will want to scratch. If you are a more casual Gaiman fan—someone who reads the books but not the comics, someone who likes his stuff but isn’t apt to go out of your way for conventions, signings, lectures, and performances—this collection probably isn’t for you. I urge you to try it anyway, especially if you enjoy myth and folklore, because there are some tremendous insights in here that might encourage you to read further (the footnotes are a great source, though a full bibliography might have been a better choice). I realize that this kind of thing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. By this point in the review, you already know if it’s yours.
Also, I must commend the editors for putting together essays that get into the meat of things without being overly academic. Literary criticism and meta-analysis is not everyone’s game; I’ve read a great deal of it, and things can get a bit esoteric and high-handed. These essays don’t go that far; they are accessible and enjoyable (as long as you know Gaiman, anyway), with touches of humor and, clearly, as much love as thought. I look forward to learning more, and finding more, and I am glad this collection is sending me on my way.
It’s now several decades later. My bookshelves have first-editions of almost every single one of his works, from short story collections and novels to the massive The Absolute Sandman volumes. I have t-shirts. I have prints. I have statues and even bottles of perfume. Those books and items share space with mythology and folklore books and rightly so—Gaiman has a gift for the exceptional weaving of classic myths from nearly every culture with his own stories and characters. And every time I read yet another flawless melding, I ask, often with awe, “How does he do it?” Given the essays in The Mythological Dimensions of Neil Gaiman, I am clearly not the only one.
The essays in this collection are not the only ones out there, of course. Gaiman and his creations offer academics a tremendous wealth of options for further study (and I would imagine a lot of high school students have realized this as well). But this collection attempts to showcase some of the best, or at least the most thoughtful, and put them in one handy volume. Gaiman himself helped spread the word for papers to be considered for the books, via his twitter and blog.
I can’t imagine what the editors must have gone through to choose the essays that ultimately wound up here. Given the wide variety of mythological subject matter that can be tied back to Gaiman’s stories (vagina dentata, anyone?), I wonder what types of studies didn’t make the cut. Did someone try to compare and contrast Morpheus, the Dreamlord, with Morpheus of The Matrix? How many papers discussed Death and DEATH, of Discworld fame? (That would seem almost a given, since Pratchett and Gaiman collaborated on the outstanding Good Omens.) What were the weirdest, the craziest, the most complex?
I bet there was enough in the “Rejected” pile for a second volume. And after reading through this one, I have to admit I’d kinda dig that. I love delving deeper, and clearly so did the essayists. Kristine Larsen, for example, offers a study of light and color in Gaiman’s works; reading it, I was amazed that I’d never noticed the preponderance of such descriptions in the novels and stories. What the Italiangiallos did for film, Gaiman does for storytelling; color and light are reflective of a spectrum far wider than what can be seen in the prism. Or the lab.
Melody Green’s complex (perhaps the most complex of all the essays, actually) “Ravens, Librarians, and Beautiful Ladies: Bakhtinian Dialogueism in the Gothic Mythology of Neil Gaiman and George MacDonald” tackles religious mythology by comparing Gaiman to Victorian pastor and novelist George MacDonald via the philosophical and critical precepts of Mikhail Bakhtin, a Russian literary critic known for his theory of dialogueism: “every literary production...exists in dialogue with writings that had been created earlier. Each [new] text...is a commentary on, or response to, or continuation of texts and stories that came before it.” If your head is spinning a bit, don’t worry—Green’s essay will make it easier to understand.
I could keep listing examples, but that would make this review far longer than it needs to be. And the truth is this collection only scratches the surface of what else can be gleaned from Gaiman’s imaginative prose. Now, admittedly, this is not a surface everyone will want to scratch. If you are a more casual Gaiman fan—someone who reads the books but not the comics, someone who likes his stuff but isn’t apt to go out of your way for conventions, signings, lectures, and performances—this collection probably isn’t for you. I urge you to try it anyway, especially if you enjoy myth and folklore, because there are some tremendous insights in here that might encourage you to read further (the footnotes are a great source, though a full bibliography might have been a better choice). I realize that this kind of thing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. By this point in the review, you already know if it’s yours.
Also, I must commend the editors for putting together essays that get into the meat of things without being overly academic. Literary criticism and meta-analysis is not everyone’s game; I’ve read a great deal of it, and things can get a bit esoteric and high-handed. These essays don’t go that far; they are accessible and enjoyable (as long as you know Gaiman, anyway), with touches of humor and, clearly, as much love as thought. I look forward to learning more, and finding more, and I am glad this collection is sending me on my way.
October 12, 2014
Based on content alone, I would give it four stars. However, format and presentation are important, and the format of this ebook is a mess. Words run together, paragraphs are not indented, there are no clear breaks between sections - I can read just about anything, but the format of this one made it close to unreadable. I can only hope the print edition, if there is one, is better. Format aside, it is a collection of essays by various authors, some more brilliant than others, and some essays stand out while others fall flat.
May 14, 2012
"I have Mythological Dimensions. You cannot see them, but they are there." —Neil Gaiman, http://journal.neilgaiman.com, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010
"As the many Gaiman stories analyzed in this book attest, our entertainment and intellectual lives are never the same once we read or hear his words, and if we follow his example, we too can bring magic to our madness." —Lynnette Porter, author of 13 books, professor at Embry-Riddle University, contributing editor/columnist for PopMatters
The Mythological Dimensions of Neil Gaiman is a must-have for anybody interested in the history and development of fantasy. Its fifteen intelligent, scholarly, and very readable essays examine Gaiman's work in light of the literary, mythic, and pop-cultural influences that have shaped him as a writer as well as his own on-going influence on the field of fantastic literature. —Delia Sherman, author of The Freedom Maze
“A marvelously erudite and impressive compendium of insightful glosses to and upon mythmaker Neil Gaiman’s splendid work.” —Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, author of The Keltiad fantasy series and Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison
“Neil Gaiman has clearly captured the imagination of a generation of fantasy readers, including the authors featured in this book.” —Matthew Dow Smith has drawn comics for every major American comic book publisher
"As the many Gaiman stories analyzed in this book attest, our entertainment and intellectual lives are never the same once we read or hear his words, and if we follow his example, we too can bring magic to our madness." —Lynnette Porter, author of 13 books, professor at Embry-Riddle University, contributing editor/columnist for PopMatters
The Mythological Dimensions of Neil Gaiman is a must-have for anybody interested in the history and development of fantasy. Its fifteen intelligent, scholarly, and very readable essays examine Gaiman's work in light of the literary, mythic, and pop-cultural influences that have shaped him as a writer as well as his own on-going influence on the field of fantastic literature. —Delia Sherman, author of The Freedom Maze
“A marvelously erudite and impressive compendium of insightful glosses to and upon mythmaker Neil Gaiman’s splendid work.” —Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, author of The Keltiad fantasy series and Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison
“Neil Gaiman has clearly captured the imagination of a generation of fantasy readers, including the authors featured in this book.” —Matthew Dow Smith has drawn comics for every major American comic book publisher
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews