The Story in Religion

Drawing on theories of myth and narratives from pop culture, this book develops a sociology of the story that shows how stories create meaning in contemporary religious practices in the West.

Martin Stringer shows how stories work in religion within the context of the story-saturated world of the 21st century through discussions of a wide range of theories of myth. He traces religious elements in the stories of film, television and literature to explore how a wide range of stories impact how we engage with, talk about and live religion. In this way, he shows that the myths at the heart of religious traditions are not the only stories that shape how religion is practised today.

Each of the ten chapters introduces an influential theory of myth, including those of Edward B. Tylor, Claude Lévi-Strauss and Sigmund Freud, before applying this theory to a story or trope from folklore, literature or popular culture. In addition to these entertaining excursions into the worlds of Frankenstein, werewolves and superheroes, each chapter also provides a retelling of the classic fairy tale Snow White framed by the theory introduced in the chapter. In highlighting core themes from the different theories of myth, these ten different Snow Whites reveal the fluidity of stories and the theories we create about them.

In its bold combination of theories of myth, popular culture and religion, The Story in Religion shows how people use a range of stories to create identities, emotions and realities in their religious practices. In this way, the book alters how we think about meaning-making in religious contexts and in society more broadly.