Section 1, Part 1 Summary and Analysis

This short but intellectually dense book examines contemporary mythology from two distinct perspectives. Specific manifestations of the relationship between myth and popular culture are explored in the series of short essays making up Section 1. Section 2 consists of a lengthy essay examining and defining, from the author's personal perspective, the general ways in which myths function and are defined.

"The World of Wrestling" This essay is an examination of the symbolic and metaphorical meaning of what the author calls "all-in" wrestling, as opposed to competitive wrestling (in contemporary American culture, this sort of wrestling is exemplified by the "World Wrestling Federation", and in stadium-filling, spectacle filled exhibitions all over America and on cable television.) This sort of wrestling is, as the author describes it at some length, a kind of performance similar to certain forms of theatre. He defines the...