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The expansion of American mythology in Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series
- "The American Adam, the American Frontier, and the American Dream are fundamental components of the mythology of U.S. American culture. These legends are found in the nation's greatest novels, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Deerslayer, and The Great Gatsby. However, while scholarship on these works has been intensive, the same analysis of contemporary literature is not as vast. The importance of such an analysis is that literature embodies society's collective mythology, which is in turn reflective of the nation's cultural ideals. Analysis of contemporary literature provides one with insight into not only the fundamental themes of the nation's mythology, but it also provides an opportunity to uncover any recent or ongoing alterations in the mythology that might be indicative of changes in the country's collective consciousness, thus making the analysis distinctive in comparison to other works. Furthermore, given the diversification of characters in American literature and their more accurate reflection, such an analysis can provide greater insight into the multicultural realities of the nation. Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series provides a unique opportunity for such an analysis, as it is both contemporary and multicultural. This series not only accurately reflects the traditional themes found in American mythology but it also expands them to be more reflective of modern cultural realities."
- "The expansion of American mythology in Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series"