Week 8: Mythic Fiction and Contemporary

This weeks topic was contemporary urban fantasy, with Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman as the reading. In the book, African Gods and Goddesses live the lives of regular people with issues much similar to ours. Although they still contain their powers, they hold grudges and deal with them in today's world. I found that mixing history and myths with modern day cities, characters, and situations was very interesting. It's not like classic fantasy where everything is set to a long time ago with a strong male hero and fantastical creatures. In urban fantasy, all the typical stuff is taken out and presents a world much like ours except with magical beings, who are able to blend into society and interact with everyone. Our idea of what a hero looks like also changes in this new world; they come in various shapes and sizes without judgement. Overall, it is engaging to read because we feel connected to this world due to how we live, and to see the same setting in a book allows us to really get a feel for this world and we imagine ourselves in it.