Academic literature on the topic 'NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS'

Abstract This article explores Neil Gaiman’s transmedial work American Gods as an example of contemporary mythmaking. Published in novel form in 2001 and launched as a television series in 2017, American Gods provides a commentary on the connectedness between different systems of stories and on myth itself as a vital present-day cultural form. It also provides us with a model for repurposing ancient material without reproducing the traditional hierarchies associated with cultures of storytelling. Gaiman’s text is an interesting case-study from the perspective of classical reception because he sidelines the ancient Greek gods in the main body of his story, while simultaneously positioning the ancient historian Herodotus as a significant intertext. The process of evaluating different cultures often veers between analyses which focus on similarities manifested across place and time and those which espouse a form of cultural relativism, a ‘live and let live’ philosophy. Gaiman seems to be offering something else here, namely a more vital and connected model for co-existence, one which is moving towards a pluri-versal perspective that acknowledges the links between political power, knowledge, and identity.

AbstractThis paper aims to address the mythopoeic aspect of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, so as to disclose the elements of American cultural identity embedded in the novel. It is an attempt to analyse its legends, myths, folklore, popular culture figures, intertwined with Old World mythology, assessing their viability as modern myths, through the lens of formalist and structuralist reading.

This examination of “American gods” argues that mythology is the bedrock for creative and poetic expression in literature that explores and comments on the universality of contemporary human concerns in a world where the spiritual link with the gods has largely been severed and belief systems have mostly lost their meaning. The discussion investigates and identifies the significance of shamanic properties and practices as elements which aid the protagonist Shadow Moon in his journey of self-discovery, and illustrates that the novel’s mythification represents an attempt to “reach below the surface of modern superficialities and reconnect with something old and mysterious within the depths of our soul” (Freke, 1999:6). Gaiman’s unique style in conveying tales that have fashioned the past, the manner in which he evokes the meeting-place of science, fantasy, myth, and magic, and the synthesis he fashions between the ancient and the modern illustrate that the imaginative life is sustained by the incorporation of mythical motifs as creative device. The blending of mythical elements in “American gods” and its restorative project of putting the reader in touch with the profound inner spiritual world validate investigation.

Since Bernard Rose’s Candyman (1992) was first released more than 25 years ago, there has been a great deal of scholarly commentary on the film’s treatment of class, race, gender and urban legends. To a lesser degree, Clive Barker’s short story, ‘The Forbidden’ (1986), has received some critical attention largely because of its status as the source material for the film’s general premise and now-iconic central monster. This article expands on such existent scholarship by analysing regional mythologies and the cross-cultural adaptation of place-specific monsters within and across both texts. To develop these primary arguments, this article extracts a theory of adaptation and location from Neil Gaiman’s novel, American Gods ([2001] 2011), and applies that theory to the acts of adaptation pervading ‘The Forbidden’ and Candyman. In complementary ways, all three of these texts explicitly reflect on the complexities of adapting monsters to precise locales. Notably, both American Gods and Candyman take place in the American Midwest; this regional setting greatly impacts the conceptualization of each narrative’s supernatural beings (Gaiman’s cohort of gods and the Candyman, respectively). Within popular culture, the Midwest is regularly depicted as both a site of nostalgic memory and a cultural space defined by the willful forgetting or elision of history. This article asserts the importance of recognizing the Midwest as a recurrent staging ground for horror narratives, particularly those featuring monsters who embody forgotten, misremembered, suppressed or denied pieces of history. Further, by examining such regional dynamics in American Gods and Candyman, this article develops the concept of ‘adaptive monsters’, which describes horrific beings who assume symbolic attributes of the historical, cultural and/or spatial environments into which they are adapted. Overall, through analyses of ‘The Forbidden’, Candyman and American Gods, this article demonstrates how regional mythologies (especially those of the Midwest) shape the adaptation of monstrous beings in horror narratives and across textual forms.

This article examines Caitlín R. Kiernan’s writing for the DC/Vertigo comic series The Dreaming, a spin-off of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. It places Kiernan’s writing for the series in the wider context of both her prose fictional writings and representations of LGBTQI+ characters in American comics. It uses Moira Weigel’s concept of “sadomodernism” to characterize Kiernan’s writings, demonstrating how Kiernan’s use of this mode in The Dreaming anticipated signature characteristics of her later fictions. Close reading of selected excerpts from the published comics, as well as Kiernan’s scripts, emails, and editorial remarks alongside the work of queer and trans theorists, including Judith Butler and Jack Halberstam, reveal how groundbreaking Kiernan’s unsettling work with the series was and remains.

Purpose: The article analyzes the image of Sherlock Holmes in the works of some of the contemporary authors. The great detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had a major impact not only on literature but on the world culture as a whole. This image spawned a lot of works featuring similar characters or even himself long before the series became public domain, and after that point, the number of works featuring Sherlock Holmes raised drastically.
 Methodology: The primary method is comparative analysis; we use it to compare the original image of Sherlock Homes with later versions
 Result: As one would assume, the perception of the image is different from author to author and therefore is different from the original created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In this article, we will analyze several works of fiction of contemporary authors (for example, Neil Gaiman and Mitch Cullen), the image of the great detective presented in then and compare it with the one from the original literature series. In conclusion we will discuss Sherlock Holmes as a modern archetype and its most prominent features.
 Applications: This research can be used for universities, teachers, and students.
 Novelty/Originality: In this research, the model of The Image of Sherlock Holmes in Contemporary British-American Fiction is presented in a comprehensive and complete manner.

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A presente dissertação consiste em um estudo do romance Deuses americanos de Neil Gaiman levando em consideração suas conexões a outros textos bem como inserções de diversos textos provenientes de outros trabalhos na prosa do romance. A proposta de leitura do texto de Gaiman segundo este trabalho utiliza os conceitos de intertextualidade e arquétipos de forma a analisar a relação entre a trama de Deuses americanos às várias utilizações de textos cuja escrita “original” não é atribuída ao autor do livro inseridos (ou referenciados) na prosa do romance. Embora o objeto de estudo seja comumente visto como um livro difícil de ser categorizado dentre de um certo gênero, a proposta desta dissertação é demonstrar que o movimento e o fluxo contínuo de discursos (textos) e estilos na prosa do romance remonta a uma visão de um estrangeiro sobre os Estados Unidos e como o país foi criado: ou seja, que ele é não somente um ponto geográfico de confluência de muitos povos, mas também de muitas crenças e culturas que, de um modo ou outro, trouxeram os seus deuses consigo. A análise do uso de intertextos, intratextos e arquétipos no romance está estruturada em três capítulos centrais: o primeiro contextualiza os mitos que aparecem no romance e discute a questão de gênero literário do livro, além do conceito de América no texto de Gaiman. O segundo capítulo examina o uso de mitos por Gaiman em relação a outros trabalhos, tanto os manuscritos antigos de crenças pagãs quanto instâncias mais modernas de mito e alegoria, além de estudar as conexões entre Deuses americanos e outros textos escritos por Gaiman de acordo com o conceito de intratextualidade proposto por Affonso de Sant’Anna. Por fim, o terceiro capítulo se concentra no uso pontual de intertextos no romance, organizando-os entre alusões literárias, referências à cultura pop, além de estudar o conflito entre a era digital e o antigo reinado da fé religiosa, sem deixar de investigar o uso de arquétipos e apropriação na prosa do romance. O trabalho, assim, tem como objetivo verificar a alegação de que a qualidade intertextual do romance é essencial tendo em vista sua trama e cenário, bem como a afirmação de que ele redefine o conceito da América do final dos anos 90 como um espaço multicultural, dinâmico e mítico.<br>This thesis consists of a study of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods in the light of its connections to other texts as well as the punctual insertions of various texts from other works in the novel’s prose. The proposed reading of Gaiman’s text employs the concepts of intertextuality and archetypes in order to further analyze the relation of the plot of American Gods to the various uses of texts - that were not originally written by the book’s author – which are inserted (or alluded to) in the novel’s prose. Although the object of study is generally seen as a book that is hard to brand within a certain genre, this thesis’ approach to the novel demonstrates that movement and the continuous flow of speeches (texts) and styles in the novel’s prose comprises an outsider’s view of America and how the country came into existence – that is, that it is the geographical conflux not only of many peoples, but also of many beliefs and cultures, which in some way or other brought their gods with them. This examination of the use of intertexts, intratexts and archetypes in the novel is structured in three main chapters: The first chapter contextualizes the myths that appear in the novel and discusses the issues of genre and the concept of America in Gaiman’s text. The second chapter analyzes Gaiman’s use of myths in relation to other works – the original manuscripts of ancient beliefs as well as modern instances of myth and allegory – along with the connections between American Gods and Gaiman’s other works according to Affonso de Sant’Anna’s concept of intratextuality. Finally, the third chapter focuses on the punctual uses of intertexts in the novel, breaking them down into literary allusions, references to pop culture and the conflict between the digital era and the age of religious faith, and the use of archetypes and appropriation in the novel’s prose. At the end of the work, I aim to assert my belief that the intertextual nature of the novel is essential to its plot and setting, and re-defines the concept of late-90’s/early 2000’s America as a multicultural, dynamic mythical space.

This thesis provides a critical analysis of the use of folklore and mythology that exists in Neil Gaiman's award-winning novel, American Gods. I focus on the ways in which American Gods is situated within an intertextual corpus of mythological and mythopoeic writing. In particular, this study analyses Gaiman’s writing by drawing upon Mircea Eliade’s ideas about mythology and Northrop Frye’s archetypal criticism to discuss the emergence of secular myth through fantasy fiction.

Submitted by HEBE TOCCI MARIN null (hebe.marin@gmail.com) on 2016-07-15T15:27:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação de mestrado - Hebe Marin.pdf: 1054901 bytes, checksum: 5558d9e101da5b60fb322957ee0bd909 (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-07-15T17:10:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 marin_ht_me_arafcl.pdf: 1054901 bytes, checksum: 5558d9e101da5b60fb322957ee0bd909 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-15T17:10:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 marin_ht_me_arafcl.pdf: 1054901 bytes, checksum: 5558d9e101da5b60fb322957ee0bd909 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-31<br>Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)<br>Abordar a ciência e as mudanças científico-tecnológicas na literatura é uma prática que acompanha a humanidade e sua evolução desde o princípio. Dessa prática surge a Ficção Científica (FC), um dos muitos ramos da rica literatura gótica. Na nossa sociedade, que faz uso constante e cada vez maior da tecnologia e seus gadgets, porém, muitas das mudanças imaginadas pelos autores de FC, sendo elas fantásticas ou verossímeis, já foram alcançadas e, desta maneira, o gênero foi compelido a buscar novos temas e abordagens. À beira de uma revolução na FC, o autor inglês Neil Gaiman cria em sua obra Deuses Americanos (2001) um novo tipo de ciência: uma ciência sacralizada, “deusificada”. No romance, deuses de culturas e religiões antigas devem conviver com e sobreviver a novos deuses emergentes – os deuses da mídia, dos carros e dos computadores, entre outros. As duas gerações de deuses disputam a fé da humanidade, o que os alimenta, e nesse processo, muitos desses deuses evoluem, involuem ou até mesmo morrem. A FC criada por Neil Gaiman retorna ao mito para explicar o desconhecido e torna-se então uma espécie de FC “reversa”. Este trabalho propõe um debate sobre essa nova face da FC, com base nas teorias de Fred Botting, Mircea Elíade, Robert Adams e Sigmund Freud, entre outros.<br>Approaching science and technoscientific changes in literature has been done by humanity since the beginning and has evolved alongside with history. From this practice derives Science Fiction (SF), one of the many branches of gothic literature. In our society, which makes constant and increasing use of technology and gadgets, however, many changes imagined by SF authors, either fantastic or verisimilar, have already been reached and so the literary genre was compelled to search for new themes and approaches. On the brink of a revolution in SF, British author Neil Gaiman creates in his masterpiece, American Gods (2001), a new type of science: a sacralized and “godfied” science. In the novel, gods from different cultures and ancient religions must live with and survive to new emergent gods – gods of the media, of cars and computers, among others. Both generations of gods fight over what feeds them – the faith of mankind – and during this process, many of these gods evolve, devolve or even perish. The SF created by Neil Gaiman returns to the myth as an explanation to the unknown and becomes then a kind of “reverse” SF. This work proposes a debate on this new face of SF, based on the theories of Fred Botting, Mircea Elíade, Robert Adams and Sigmund Freud, among others.

In 2001, Neil Gaiman published American Gods, a novel of American life and mythology. As a British author living in the United States, Gaiman has a powerful vantage point from which to critique American culture, landscape, and ideology. Rich with re-invented deities, legends, mythic creatures, and folk heroes cast in a decidedly American mold, American Gods examines the American character, evaluating the myths and beliefs of the culture from the vantage point of an outsider. By examining the character's allegiance to particular cultural legacies (Wednesday as the American con artist, Shadow as the cowboy), I intend to assess this outsider's understanding of what it means to be an American.

Neil Gaiman’s use of a hyper-masculine American culture in American Gods sheds light upon the multiple issues surrounding a misogynistic society in which women are treated as sexual objects and punished for their independence as sexual beings. Gaiman’s efforts at highlighting these issues are discreet and hidden under layers of patriarchal expectations, but through the use of his protagonist, Shadow, Gaiman is able to provide an alternative to the society he represents. While he successfully illustrates this more “ideal” society, his endeavors fall short and are almost imperceptible throughout his novel. Gaiman’s work in American Gods, while lacking in its overall presence, brings attention to the issues within a hyper-masculine society and it is through this unique, feminist approach that Gaiman is able to present his strong argument for change.

Kazimierz Dabrowski’s psychological theory of positive disintegration is a lesser known theory of personality development that offers an alternative critical perspective of literature. It provides a framework for the characterization of postmodern protagonists who move beyond heroic indoctrination to construct their own self-organized, autonomous identities. Ezra Pound’s The Cantos captures the speaker-poet’s extensive process of inner conflict, providing a unique opportunity to track the progress of the hero’s transformation into a personality, or a man. American Gods is a more fully realized portrayal of a character who undergoes the complete paradigmatic collapse of positive disintegration and deliberate self-derived self-revision in a more distilled linear fashion. Importantly, using a Dabrowskian lens to re-examine contemporary literature that has evolved to portray how the experience of psychopathology leads to metaphorical death—which may have any combination of negative or positive outcomes—has not only socio-cultural significance but important personal implications as well.

L'elaborato consiste in una proposta di traduzione di un racconto tratto da "Norse Mythology" di Neil Gaiman e in una breve analisi dell’origine e della storia traduttiva dei due testi medievali alla base dell’opera di Gaiman, l’Edda di Snorri e l’Edda poetica, da cui deriva gran parte della nostra conoscenza della mitologia norrena.

At just under thirty years the serious academic study of American comic books is relatively young. Over the course of three decades most historians familiar with the medium have recognized that American comics, since becoming a mass-cultural product in 1939, have matured beyond their humble beginnings as a monthly publication for children. However, historians are not yet in agreement as to when the medium became mature. This thesis proposes that the medium’s maturity was cemented between 1985 and 2000, a much later point in time than existing texts postulate. The project involves the analysis of how an American mass medium, in this case the comic book, matured in the last two decades of the twentieth century. The goal is to show the interconnected relationships and factors that facilitated the maturation of the American sequential art, specifically a focus on a group of British writers working at DC Comics and Vertigo, an alternative imprint under the financial control of DC. The project consulted the major works of British comic scriptwriters, Alan Moore, Jamie Delano, Grant Morrison, Peter Milligan, Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, and Garth Ennis. These works include Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Shade: the Changing Man, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Animal Man, Sandman, Transmetropolitan, Preacher and several other important works. Following a chronological organization, the work tracks major changes taking place in the American comic book industry in the commercial, corporate, and creative sectors to show the processes through which the medium matured in this time period. This is accomplished by combining textual analysis of the comics with industry specific records and a focus on major cultural shifts in US society and culture

Neil Gaiman (1960-present) currently reigns in the literary world as one of the most critically-decorated and popular authors of the last fifty years. Perhaps best known as the writer of the Harvey, Eisner, and World Fantasy-award winning DC/ Vertigo series, The Sandman, Gaiman quickly became equally-renowned in literary circles for works such as Neverwhere, Coraline, the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, etc. award-winning American Gods, as well as the Newbery and Carnegie Medal-winning The Graveyard Book. For adults, for children, for the comic reader to the viewer of the BBC's Doctor Who, Gaiman's writing has crossed the borders of virtually all media and every language making him a celebrity on a world-wide scale. Despite Gaiman's incredible contributions to multiple national comics traditions (from such works as Miracleman to the aforementioned The Sandman), to the maturation of American comics as a serious storytelling medium, and to changing the rights of creators to retain ownership of their works, his work continues to be underrepresented in sustained fashion in comics studies. As American Gods tops ratings charts for Starz, Anansi Boys can be found in radio play from the BBC, and adaptations of some of his work from Trigger Warning and Fragile Things become standalone comics by renowned artists, it seems timely to bring the bulk of Gaiman's comics into the scholarly discussion. The thirteen essays and two interviews with Gaiman and his frequent collaborator, artist P. Craig Russell, a formal introduction, forward, and afterword examine the work (specifically-comics, graphic novels, picture books, visual adaptations of prose works, etc.) of Gaiman and a multitude of his collaborative illustrators. The essays radiate from an examination of Gaiman's work surrounding proclamations challenging his readers to "make good art'; what makes Gaiman's work unique and worthy of study lies in his eschewing of typical categorizations and typologies, his constant efforts to make good art-whatever form that art may take-howsoever the genres and audiences may slip into one another. What emerges is a complicated picture of a man who always seems fully-assembled virtually from the start of his career, but only came to feel comfortable in his own skin and his own voice far later in his life.

It goes without saying that Neil Gaiman is an incredibly busy man of late. Between acting as executive producer on the television adaptation of American Gods and performing similar duties on Good Omens—in addition to writing all the scripts for the BBC adaptation of his and Terry Pratchett’s much-beloved 1990 novel, crafting sequels to ...

This chapter concludes the volume proper with a personal anecdote from notedcomics scholar Joe Sutliff Sanders. Sutliff Sanders examines the contents of the book against a personal experience he had with the book American Gods and his own work with Gaiman over time. He concludes by examining the contents of the book commenting on the importance of reading and rereading Gaiman with an eye towards further liminal interpretations echoing the introduction.