In the Embrace of the Swan - Anglo-German Mythologies in Literature, the Visual Arts and Cultural Theory

Myths determine the way cultures understand themselves. The papers in this volume examine culturally specific myths in Britain and the German-speaking world, and compare approaches to the theory of myth, together with the ways in which mythological formations operate in literature, aesthetics and politics ‑ with a focus on the period around 1800. They enquire into the consequences of myth-oriented discourses for the way in which these two cultures understand each other, and in this way make a significant contribution to a more profound approach to intercultural research.


Rüdiger Görner and Angus Nicholls, Queen Mary, University of London, Great Britain.