Date of Award
8-2005
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Program
English
Department
English
Major Professor
Doll, Daniel
Second Advisor
Malmgren, Carl
Third Advisor
Foy, Roslyn
Abstract
In 2001, Neil Gaiman published American Gods, a novel of American life and mythology. As a British author living in the United States, Gaiman has a powerful vantage point from which to critique American culture, landscape, and ideology. Rich with re-invented deities, legends, mythic creatures, and folk heroes cast in a decidedly American mold, American Gods examines the American character, evaluating the myths and beliefs of the culture from the vantage point of an outsider. By examining the character's allegiance to particular cultural legacies (Wednesday as the American con artist, Shadow as the cowboy), I intend to assess this outsider's understanding of what it means to be an American.
Recommended Citation
Hill, Mark, "Neil Gaiman's American Gods: An Outsider's Critique of American Culture" (2005). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 282.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/282
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.