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'''Mythology''' (also referred to as a '''mythos'''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Delasara|first1=Jan|title=PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files: A Critical Exploration|date=200|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|page=39}}</ref>) is the term often used by fans of a particular book, television, or movie series to describe a [[Media franchise|fiction franchise]]'s overarching plot and often mysterious backstory. Daniel Peretti argues that mythology "is often used [[emic]]ally to refer to back story".<ref name=peretti/> The term was pioneered by the American science fiction series ''[[The X-Files]]'', which first aired in 1993.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sepinwall|first1=Alan|title=The Revolution Was Televised|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|page=15|date=2013}}</ref> With this being said, many other forms of media have some sort of mythology, and the term is often applied in regards to ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', ''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]'', and the [[Batman]] and [[Superman]] comics, among others.<ref name=peretti>{{cite book|last1=Peretti|first1=Daniel|title=The Modern Prometheus: The Persistence of an Ancient Myth in the Modern World, 1950 to 2007|date=2009|publisher=[[Indiana University]]|page=13}}</ref>
'''Mythology''' (also referred to as a '''mythos'''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Delasara|first1=Jan|title=PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files: A Critical Exploration|date=200|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|page=39}}</ref>) is the term often used by fans of a particular book, television, or [[film series]] to describe a [[Media franchise|fiction franchise]]'s overarching plot and often mysterious backstory. Daniel Peretti argues that mythology "is often used [[emic]]ally to refer to back story".<ref name=peretti/> The term was pioneered by the American science fiction series ''[[The X-Files]]'', which first aired in 1993.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sepinwall|first1=Alan|title=The Revolution Was Televised|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|page=15|date=2013}}</ref> With this being said, many other forms of media have some sort of mythology, and the term is often applied in regards to ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', ''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]'', and the [[Batman]] and [[Superman]] comics, among others.<ref name=peretti>{{cite book|last1=Peretti|first1=Daniel|title=The Modern Prometheus: The Persistence of an Ancient Myth in the Modern World, 1950 to 2007|date=2009|publisher=[[Indiana University]]|page=13}}</ref>


Some fictional series more literally have a mythology, i.e. a cycle of fictional [[myth]]s, as part of the in-[[Fictional universe|universe]] material. An unusually well-developed and comparatively early example is that of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Middle-earth]] stories, for which he developed written myths and [[epic poems]], some in [[fictional language]]s like [[Elvish languages (Middle-earth)|Elvish]].
Some fictional series more literally have a mythology, i.e. a cycle of fictional [[myth]]s, as part of the in-[[Fictional universe|universe]] material. An unusually well-developed and comparatively early example is that of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Middle-earth]] stories, for which he developed written myths and [[epic poems]], some in [[fictional language]]s like [[Elvish languages (Middle-earth)|Elvish]].

Revision as of 10:49, 17 March 2020

Mythology (also referred to as a mythos[1]) is the term often used by fans of a particular book, television, or film series to describe a fiction franchise's overarching plot and often mysterious backstory. Daniel Peretti argues that mythology "is often used emically to refer to back story".[2] The term was pioneered by the American science fiction series The X-Files, which first aired in 1993.[3] With this being said, many other forms of media have some sort of mythology, and the term is often applied in regards to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, and the Batman and Superman comics, among others.[2]

Some fictional series more literally have a mythology, i.e. a cycle of fictional myths, as part of the in-universe material. An unusually well-developed and comparatively early example is that of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth stories, for which he developed written myths and epic poems, some in fictional languages like Elvish.

See also

References

  1. ^ Delasara, Jan (200). PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files: A Critical Exploration. McFarland. p. 39.
  2. ^ a b Peretti, Daniel (2009). The Modern Prometheus: The Persistence of an Ancient Myth in the Modern World, 1950 to 2007. Indiana University. p. 13.
  3. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (2013). The Revolution Was Televised. Simon & Schuster. p. 15.