Dissertation Defence: Instrumentalizing Myth in Fantasy Literature: Mythical Constructs of Time, Space, and Gender in Novels by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Anne-Bénédicte Claret, supervised by Dr. Margaret Reeves, will defend their dissertation titled “Instrumentalizing Myth in Fantasy Literature: Mythical Constructs of Time, Space, and Gender in Novels by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies.

An abstract for Anne-Bénédicte Claret’s dissertation is included below.

Examinations are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Please email margaret.reeves@ubc.ca to receive the Zoom link for this exam.

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Abstract

The term “myth” has often become synonymous with falsehood, fiction, or outdated beliefs. Yet such a definition fails to encompass the foundational and ever current role played by myths in shaping the values, ideologies, and worldviews of the cultures from which they originate. Following from a Barthesian understanding of myth, this dissertation explores the representation of myths in novels by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, namely American Gods, Neverwhere, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane (by Gaiman); Mort, Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, and Carpe Jugulum (by Pratchett); and Good Omens (co-authored by Gaiman and Pratchett). My argument postulates that these two authors’ interpretation and instrumentalization of myth is evidence not only of the relevance of myth for contemporary concerns, but also of the possibilities to be found, in speculative fictions, for reconceptualized and non-universalizing representations of myth. Through a comparative, critical analysis of the ways in which these novels articulate mythical constructs of space, time, and gender, this dissertation examines the tension at play between the reiteration of and the challenge to essentialized expressions of myth in the works Gaiman and Pratchett. I argue that at the heart of Gaiman and Pratchett’s instrumentalization of myth lies an emphasis on the importance of interconnectedness, interdependence, and individual agency in the formation and constant reconfiguration of human worldviews.