Preface
1. Here Be Dragons
2. Once Upon a Time . . .
3. Imagining Magic
4. Between Puer Aeternus and Vitam Aeternam
5. The Mythic Hero: East
6. The Mythic Hero: West
7. Imagining the Warrior-Heroine
8. The Stuff of Legends
9. . . . Happily Ever After?
Mediography
Bibliography
Index
Douglas E. Cowan is Professor of Religious Studies and
Social Development Studies at Renison University College. He is the
author of Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen,
Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film
and Television, and, most recently, America’s Dark Theologian: The
Religious Imagination of Stephen King.
"Magic, Monsters and Make-Believe Heroes is a joy to read
because it gloriously and lovingly destabilises texts by reminding
us that the reader/viewer/gamer is not a blank slate. In roaming
across platforms, it also breaks down some of the artificial
divides within the study of the fantastic."
*Times Higher Education*
"I would recommend this book for anyone interested in fantasy
culture. It is entertaining, informative, and accessible. Using it
in an undergraduate course setting would be ideal. It would also
work well as a birthday gift for that D&D fanatic or Buffy fan
in your own family tree."
*Journal of the American Academy of Religion*
"The book’s accessible writing style would make it ideal for an
undergraduate course looking at religion and popular culture. But
Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes would also be well-suited
for a course on creative writing, or even game design."
*Nova Religio*
"Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes aims to discover the
contours of fantasy culture and explain why these works hold such
power over us. It is very successful in doing so."
*Reading Religion*
"The broad scope of Cowan’s analysis can be a delight to readers
who enjoy a panoramic view of culture."
*Fafnir: Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Research*
"A treat for the popular culture aficionados. It is a highly
recommended read for scholars of religion and popular culture."
*Religious Studies Review*
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