The Truth of Myth World Mythology in Theory and Everyday Life

The Truth of Myth is a thorough and accessible introduction to the study of myth, surveying the intellectual history of the topic, methods for studying myth cross-culturally, and emerging trends. Readers will encounter insightful commentaries on such questions as: What is the relation of mythology to religion? To science? To popular culture? Did the events recounted in myths actually occur? Why does the term "myth" have so many contradictory definitions and connotations? Offering serious students with an intellectual "toolkit" for launching into this fascinating field, the book is especially useful in conjunction with case studies of individual mythological traditions.

Tok Thompson is Associate Professor of Teaching, Anthropology, and Communications at the University of Southern California.

Gregory Schrempp is Professor of Folklore at Indiana University.

Prologue
Introduction

Chapter 1: Definitions and Starting Points
Chapter 2: Highlights in the History of Mythological Research
Chapter 3: Studying Mythology Comparatively
Chapter 4: Some Current Trends

Conclusion
Glossary
Works Cited
Index