MYTH OF THE TITANIC

REVISED AND EXPANDED, THIS NEW EDITION OF THE MYTH OF THE TITANIC LOCATES THE CENTENARY OF THE SINKING OF THIS MOST FAMOUS 'UNSINKABLE SHIP' WITHIN ITS HISTORICAL, MYTHICAL AND INTELLECTUAL CONTEXT. RICHARD HOWELLS DEMONSTRATES THE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RUSTING REMAINS OF THE PHYSICAL SHIP AND THE MYTHICAL TITANIC THAT HAS REPLACED IT IN POPULAR CULTURE. BY TRACING THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE TITANIC BACK TO 1912, HE SHOWS HOW LATE EDWARDIAN SOCIETY BEGAN THE PROCESS BY CREATING A TRIUMPH OUT OF A TRAGEDY. IN DOING SO, HOWELLS NOT ONLY PROVIDES AN INVALUABLE INSIGHT INTO THE SOCIAL VALUES OF THE TIME, BUT ALSO REFLECTS UPON THE FAR BROADER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MYTH, HISTORY AND POPULAR CULTURE TODAY.