“Only the Gods are Real”: The Mythopoeic Dimension of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods

Abstract

This paper aims to address the mythopoeic aspect of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, so as to disclose the elements of American cultural identity embedded in the novel. It is an attempt to analyse its legends, myths, folklore, popular culture figures, intertwined with Old World mythology, assessing their viability as modern myths, through the lens of formalist and structuralist reading.

Keywords

• american cultural identity
• cultural representations of america
• mythology
• mythopoeia