This one looks interesting:
Join author Stephen Knight in-conversation with Bronwyn Levy discussing his book, The Politics of Myth at Avid Reader.
Monday the 12th of October
Avid Reader Bookshop, 193 Boundary Street West End
6.00pm for a 6.30pm start
Tickets $7.50 – RSVP ONLINE or to events@avidreader.com.au or call us on 3846 3422
What are the Politics of Myth? If Barack Obama and the late Gough Whitlam are two heads of state that fall into the Arthurian mythic hero class, do we have a contemporary Ned Kelly? Perhaps a Joan of Arc among today’s feminists? The mythic status of the great Sherlock Holmes has fallen victim to forensic reality and the William Shakespeares of tomorrow are more likely to be masters of the tweet than scribblers of drama. But is Julian Assange our new Merlin?
In this searching and unusual new work, Stephen Knight, who recently returned to Australia after twenty years in Europe, reviews the patterns to be found among the narratives of the past that have survived to the 21st century. Mythic figures he says are a focus for conflicts, and they continue to draw the attention of the public, though dressed in contemporary modes. Through these mythic figures the complexities and events we experience in our lives are considered from a different viewpoint.
ABOUT STEPHEN KNIGHT
Stephen Knight worked as a Professor of Literature in Australia and Britain, focusing on the inter-relationship of culture and society, publishing many books and essays, with major work on King Arthur, Merlin, Robin Hood and world crime fiction. He is currently an Honorary Research Professor at the University of Melbourne.
For more information on this or any other Avid Reader event, please contact Krissy Kneen or Madeleine Laing at events@avidreader.com.au