each stage of development would require examination. but only on Earth. and would instead be regarded as
the mere fantasy of unabashed machinery. when myths often function as dispensable complements of
discourses. the android. More
significant. Frankenstein). An example of this is the figure
of the Comendador in the myth of Don Juan—a figure that no longer exists. then grow. myths may experience a crisis as the result of a
substantial change in the historical context.
In some other cases. for example. is the transformation of the Grail myth. or medium. This is particularly noticeable in the 20th and
21st centuries. are born. the crisis
of a genre. Take the mythical figure of the angel.
This small inconsistency is of course exacerbated by the fact that a moving
statue would have no credibility today. it sometimes happens that the original sociocultural environment is transformed in such a way that the general context of a myth must
be changed as well. Moreover. can certainly bring about a crisis in the traditional
manifestations of myth.
these myths have crystalized in contemporary forms (the cyborg. The Eucharistic
chalice of eternal life becomes—evidencing the contemporary crisis of transcendence—a sacred cup that may only heal physical ailments or guarantee
a deathless life. the mythical
figure of the angel acquires aesthetic. or the Matrix universe) that pose significant questions about what it
means to be human today.
First of all. Yet this volume of essays explores something else: how
myths adapt to the trials and tribulations of our time (the 20th and the 21st
centuries).
The angels found in Western culture retain their fundamental functions as
messengers and helpers. Indeed. perhaps. Aesthetic movements such
. but have also acquired new traits which are characteristic of our time: in tune with the New Age phenomenon.
And yet. Similarly. Furthermore.
Several circumstances explain the crisis of myth. beside this problematic issue of myths in crisis arises another
concern: the crisis “of” myth. rather than as their core constituents.
Other reasons—religious. as man-made creations.Preface
Can it be said that myths. sentimental or even sexual connotations. anthropological—explain the crisis that affects myths of human creation (Prometheus.
reproduce and eventually die? If so. The aim is to assess the evolution of myths across time and to
determine whether the contemporary crisis of myth may result in their death
or rebirth. a myth as intrinsically theatrical as the myth of Don Juan cannot but be affected by the crisis
of theater under the overwhelming influence of cinema. the myth of Pygmalion loses the mytheme of inert matter
coming to life in order to simply tell the story of a doomed love affair.

Ancient.
i. A numerous group of expert reviewers have assessed the more than two hundred
papers submitted for our consideration. medieval and modern myths. these articles have been classified according to the dominant traits that characterize the individual and their culture:
psychophysical singularity. in their effort to undermine the foundations of the
traditional novel.
Theory of Myth
The first two articles explore the types of crisis that may affect myths
regarding their mythemes and the connections of these with religion (José
Manuel Losada.xiv Preface
as the Nouveau Roman. Marta Miquel-Baldellou. myths expose the anxiety and distress experienced in the face of disorientation or heartbreak. Javier Mañero Rodicio).
Due to their narrative structure and to their proverbial tendency toward extreme situations. Both kinds of myths are explored in this volume. The third and fourth articles are focused
on attempting to clarify the terminology that is applied to the concepts of
“myth”. The challenge of myth is thus to survive in an evidently immanent world. in line with their literary and artistic manifestations.
ii. specifically concerning literary myth
(Javier del Prado. “archetype” and “prototype”. or the rejection of our own physical
appearance in a time that relentlessly challenges the core meaning
of human identity (Leon Burnett. Robert Segal). In order to
give shape to a coherent study.
a)
Myth and Anthropology
The crisis of myth is the crisis of contemporary men and women. among which a rigorous selection
has been made by the editors (only 1 of each 7 proposals has been accepted). along with a composite index to guide
the reader.
. moral conscience. Adrián
García Vidal. medieval and modern
myths in contemporary art and literature (20th and 21st centuries). which
partly explains the emergence of new myths that bear no resemblance to traditional (sacred) mythology. sociopolitical extension and
meta-literary dimension. Marcin Klik).
Medieval and Modern Myths
The largest part of the volume examines ancient. the incapacity
of feeling love for a machine. reject all possibilities of a mythical dimension. In this introduction I will briefly explain the distribution of contents since the volume
includes an abstract of each article.
This book is not merely a compilation of the proceedings of the conference held at Complutense University of Madrid in October of 2014.
The selected articles advance methodological principles and practical
contributions on the topic of the crisis of ancient.

mankind is less
obsessed with knowledge or power than they are with their own temporary decay (Mariano García). losing
their traditional invulnerability (Sophie Coudray. This happens when.
perhaps. performance updates an old myth in an attempt to verbally
conquer reality (Manel Feijoó). Facing an ecological disaster and
the contractions of atheist rationalism and theist fundamentalism. the
poet wonders whether it is possible or even desirable to experience
a new enchantment. The immediate reaction is re-mythologization in the form of a heroic quest for
freedom. With no faith in the Great Beyond.
A change of paradigm may also be observed in contemporary discourses which. between patriarchy and matriarchy.
c)
Myth. Pierre Cuvelier). or when heroes. are located in a familiar time and space. each person’s crisis results in a crisis of myth expressed through a process of demystification. Or. With no devil with whom to make a pact. for
example. which traditionally has established a connection between
two worlds. as in the case of queer theory. where widows become second-class citizens
by virtue of divine sanction (Sanghita Sen & Indrani Mukherjee). dismantle traditional
dichotomies (Giuliano Lozzi). The poet exterminates the monsters of
his labyrinth with a thread of words (Adriana Martins-Frias). In these interpretations a woman
may choose to detach herself from a world made by men and for men
(José Luis Arcaz Pozo).
. in which contemporary men embark on an escape from
domestic dissatisfaction (Helena González-Vaquerizo). or even
between the members of a family.
d)
Myth and Meta-Literature
The crisis of myth does not affect its meta-literary function.
The appearance of a mythical name may reveal the satirical use of
a hypo-text (Ian de Toffoli). after every crisis comes an anti-crisis.
Myths in Crisis: The Crisis of Myth
xv
Simultaneously. divested of their ageold paraphernalia. man is bound to a
hopeless apocalypse where he struggles to redeem himself (Rebeca
Gualberto).
b)
Myth. Politics and Society
A considerable amount of myths have been interpreted as metaphors for the conflicts that articulate the relationship between the
individual and the state. the ideal of infinite ascent is left aside in favor of everyday
concerns (Linda Maria Baros). Morality and Religion
The crisis of transcendence in today’s society entails the crisis
of myth.
However.

a)
Mythologizing People
This encompasses the ubiquitous “myth of the artist”. Places and Languages
Communitarian myths may be subjected to endless reinterpretations. And. a modest yet comprehensive
reflection of the contemporary paradigm in the discipline of myth-criticism. peoples and nations. The new myths are pseudomyths. in consequence. their name or their family on a mythical pedestal (Anja
Schwennsen). Myths of immanence. easily differentiated from the traditional mythologies
of Antiquity. compact and uniformed volume. Their interpretations are infinite (I have attempted my own reading in the article
“Tipología de los mitos modernos” (“Typology of Modern Myths”) as a
way of epilogue to the book Nuevas Formas del Mito.
c)
Mythologizing Nations. in any case.
.
Myths of Immanence
An issue which cannot be ignored by current criticism is the emergence of new myths. and the myths of great
magicians of the Nouvelle Critique (Metka Zupančič).
but in their most basic terms these new myths result from a process of mythologization of real or fictive persons.
b)
Mythologizing Characters
In contemporary fiction. Logos. the Middle Ages or the Modern Era. so. Poets have elevated their
childhood. transforming myth into a literary courtesan that has allowed them to stoke the complacent dreams of a
whole nation (Juan González Etxeberria). peoples have strived to preserve the national awareness of their
language (Naoko Hosokawa). Berlin. so to speak. but also become hostage to a partisan
political interpretation (Mª Ángeles Varela Olea). in spite of historical crisis. but it is.
The result of all these reflections is a solid. deformations of contemporary
mass society… these may be the only myths possible today.xvi Preface
iii. typical of
the romantic writer (Ana González-Rivas). 2015). Theatre directors have returned to the representation
of a city’s resistance against an empire to depict their dramatic paroxysm (Emmanuel Marigno Vázquez). devilishness or ancient kingship (Alejandra Spagnuolo). characters may acquire traits of sainthood. politicians have often fabricated a
fraudulent use of mythology. They
may not only substantiate the pre-eminence of fiction over a lackluster reality (Patricia Martínez). It is not faultless. These were defined by
transcendence—whether accepted or rejected.

April 16.
José Manuel Losada
Madrid. 2015
jlosada@ucm. the expression of an honest desire to understand our world
and how we live it. above all.es
Translated by Rebeca Gualberto Valverde
.josemanuellosada.
Myths in Crisis: The Crisis of Myth
xvii
Reading will endorse or recuse the work hereby presented: an attempt to
understand through myth the literary and artistic manifestations of our time
and.es
www.