Title: Star Wars: The Magic of Myth
Author: Mary Henderson
ISBN: 0-553-10206-0; paperback 0-553-37810-4
Publisher: Bantam
Copyright: 1997
Reviewed by FernWithy.
The Magic of Myth, Mary Henderson's companion volume to exhibit of the same name at the Smithsonian Institute's NASA Museum, is the best starting point available for someone new to the mythological aspects of the classic Star Wars trilogy.
The book is separated into three sections. "Star Wars and Classic Mythology" compares Luke Skywalker's story with the traditional stories by which Lucas was influenced (including King Arthur, Siegfried, the Odyssey, The Divine Comedy, and others), and "The Makings of Modern Myth" looks at more modern influences (including cowboys, the second world war, technological horror, and more). The final section, "Mythic Images," studies how Lucas used visual imagery to evoke these archetypes.
As an introduction to the Star Wars mythology, Magic of Myth is fantastic. Unlike many books on the subject, it presupposes no knowledge of the comparative subject matter, and gives succinct explanations of its references. Henderson walks readers through the traditional stories, historical references, and theoretical work without ever becoming overbearing, including a good overview of the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, whose ideas had a profound influence on Lucas's work. The chapter taking us through the Hero's Journey portrays not only Luke's journey, but its analogues in myth--the guarded thresholds, the mentors' gifts, the refusals of adventure. The studies of visual imagery are fantastic, breaking down why choices were made and what they meant to evoke, including pictures both of the Star Wars props and costumes and the historical costumes which inspired them. The large, full-color pictures allow the reader to see how well those choices work.
Henderson's book is introductory and doesn't explore the many issues it raises in great depth, but hey... that leaves room for the rest of us.
