Yearbook of Comparative Criticism, Vol IX

The literary artist's use of myth is approached from three standpoints: general theoretical problems, special practical examples, and comparative theoretical trends. The relationship between an author's private myth and the myth that rises as the "spontaneous and anonymous creation of a whole people" ( in Baudelaire's phrase) is presented as an overall theme in Haskell Block's opening essay.

Other broad theoretical issues covered are myth in poetry from the critic's viewpoint, and myth and anti-myth—with particular reference to Mann and Proust. Special examples are drawn from Rilke, Mallarme, and the Iliad as well as subsequent Greek and Roman literature. Among trends considered are Russian structuralist approaches to the fairy tale, French theories on Greek myth in modern drama, German mythopoesis, and Anglo-American critical attitudes.