Nowadays, the study of myths is rather neglected as a field of research in sociology. There is a void that this paper would like to contribute to filling. It outlines a theoretical and empirical sociological approach ...Nowadays, the study of myths is rather neglected as a field of research in sociology. There is a void that this paper would like to contribute to filling. It outlines a theoretical and empirical sociological approach to social myths as a major component of collective imaginaries and a universal sociological mechanism through time and space. The article recalls the major functions performed by myths in every society （modem as well as ＂primitive＂）, introduces new concepts, and sets forth an analytical framework designed to account for the emergence, the reproduction, and the decline of myths, as sacralised collective representations.展开更多
Literary characters possess a genealogy. Indeed, stock characters like the evil genius or super villain boast family trees that readers can trace not only through time--in this case, starting in the late 19th century-...Literary characters possess a genealogy. Indeed, stock characters like the evil genius or super villain boast family trees that readers can trace not only through time--in this case, starting in the late 19th century--but also across borders. This study traces the genealogical roots of the modern super villain by examining, in turn, Ian Fleming＇s characters Ernst Blofeld and Dr. Julius No, Sax Rohmer＇s Dr. Fu Manchu, and Guy Boothby＇s Dr. Antonio Nikola. In ＂Orientalism＂, the author contends that the modern super villain is the embodiment of these writers＇ orientalist fantasies and fears. Finally, in ＂Mad Science＂, the argument is made that the evil geniuses of Fleming, Rohmer, and Boothby may very well be the offspring of an earlier stock character, the mad scientist, who trades monomania for megalomania.展开更多
文摘Nowadays, the study of myths is rather neglected as a field of research in sociology. There is a void that this paper would like to contribute to filling. It outlines a theoretical and empirical sociological approach to social myths as a major component of collective imaginaries and a universal sociological mechanism through time and space. The article recalls the major functions performed by myths in every society （modem as well as ＂primitive＂）, introduces new concepts, and sets forth an analytical framework designed to account for the emergence, the reproduction, and the decline of myths, as sacralised collective representations.
文摘Literary characters possess a genealogy. Indeed, stock characters like the evil genius or super villain boast family trees that readers can trace not only through time--in this case, starting in the late 19th century--but also across borders. This study traces the genealogical roots of the modern super villain by examining, in turn, Ian Fleming＇s characters Ernst Blofeld and Dr. Julius No, Sax Rohmer＇s Dr. Fu Manchu, and Guy Boothby＇s Dr. Antonio Nikola. In ＂Orientalism＂, the author contends that the modern super villain is the embodiment of these writers＇ orientalist fantasies and fears. Finally, in ＂Mad Science＂, the argument is made that the evil geniuses of Fleming, Rohmer, and Boothby may very well be the offspring of an earlier stock character, the mad scientist, who trades monomania for megalomania.
