The Goddess Myth in Contemporary Literature and Popular Culture

Mary J. Magoulick is professor of English at Georgia College and State University. Her work has been featured in the Journal of Folklore Research, the Journal of American Folklore, the Journal of Popular Culture, and Digest: A Journal of Foodways & Culture. She has also been included in the edited volumes Encyclopedia of Women's Folklore and Folklife; The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales; and Reading Leslie Marmon Silko: Critical Perspectives through "Gardens in the Dunes."

Scholars of material religion will find this text particularly useful as it illuminates the limitations of material and archeological religion. Overall, critical media scholars would benefit from reading The Goddess Myth.--Lucia Granja "Religious Studies Review" [Magoulick] considers works of art and literature with insight and clarity . . . . This is exemplary scholarship!--L. J. Alderink "CHOICE" The Goddess Myth in Contemporary Literature and Popular Culture is the first book I have seen that ties together insights from feminist archaeology, folklore and mythology, literature, pop culture, and contemporary feminist theory in order to better understand the importance of goddess figures in both historical and contemporary modes of thought. Surveying existing scholarship on goddess culture (everything from what we know about prehistorical societies to current-day neo-pagan, Wiccan, and feminist spirituality practices) and adding a folkloristic lens to analyze literary and pop culture versions of goddess myths and tales, Mary J. Magoulick offers a nuanced and intriguing exploration of what goddess figures can and do mean in a variety of media.--Jeana Jorgensen, folklorist and author