Modern day myths in Neil Gaiman's American Gods

• Main Authors: Mohamed Roslan, Syed Mikhail, Noor, Rohimmi, Jujar Singh, Hardev Kaur
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Human Resource Management Academic Research Society 2020
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38315/1/38315.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38315/; http://hrmars.com/index.php/papers/detail/IJARBSS/7056

This thesis will focus on the function of multi-mythology in contemporary literature especially the fantasy genre. In particular, this thesis analyses American Gods by Neil Gaiman by drawing upon Claude Lévi-Strauss' and Vladmir Propp's structuralist ideas and to see how the original myths were substituted, modulated or transfigured to be presented as metamyth or myth transformed. In particular, I will argue that American Gods is a demonstration of Joseph Campbell’s theory of the monomyth from the The Hero with a Thousand Faces. The findings of this study may encourage future researchers into analysing other texts and finding similar themes to fill in the gaps of existing knowledge in mythology.