The Myth of the Titanic [Hardcover]

Richard Howells (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312221487 | ISBN-13: 978-0312221485 | Publication Date: July 2, 1999

The first critical analysis of the Titanic as a modern myth, this book focuses on the second of the two Titanics. The first was the physical Titanic, the rusting remains of which can still be found twelve thousand feet below the north Atlantic. The second is the mythical Titanic which emerged just as its tangible predecessor slipped from view on April 15, 1912. It is the second of the two Titanics which remains the more interesting and which continues to carry cultural resonances today. The Myth of the Titanic begins with the launching of the "unsinkable ship" and ends with the outbreak of the "war to end all wars." It provides an insight into the particular culture of late-Edwardian Britain and beyond this draws far greater conclusions about the complex relationship between myth, history, popular culture and society as a whole.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this scholarly and heavily documented study, Howells (communications, Univ. of Leeds) proposes that the sinking of the Titanic was "an event whose mythical significance has eclipsed its historical importance." His work, in typical dissertation style, proceeds with an almost painful thoroughness from historical background to examination of the relationship between myth and history to close analyses of the popular texts, beliefs, and cultural assumptions from which the Titanic myth has evolved. The primary focus of these analyses is on materials generated in British popular culture from 1912 to 1914. Howells concludes that the story of the Titanic disaster, like earlier tales of hubris and nemesis, mergesAin the interests of cultural rather than historical truthAactual and imaginary experience as a means of constructing not only "triumph out of tragedy" but also "order out of an arbitrary world." Recommended for larger public and academic libraries.ARobert C. Jones, Central Missouri State Univ., Warrensburg
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"He crafts an easily accessible, well-organized, and logical book..."--Kristi A. Bell, Journal of American Folklore

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (July 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312221487
• ISBN-13: 978-0312221485
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,534,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Popular Misconceptions Become Myths and Soothe Us, July 2, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Myth of the Titanic (Hardcover)

I have always wondered why the Titanic tragedy has had such a profound grip on our minds and our imaginations. This fascinating book looks at the myths that have grown up around the Titanic, and interprets why these myths appeal to us. I found it to be a very profound insight into psychological benefits potentially provided the many misconceptions that stall our progress every day. To understand why we look at the myth rather than the opportunity is to learn how to be a stallbuster who can go on to achieve great things.

Howells found six parallels between the Titanic myths and those located in preliterate myths of various peoples. First, realistic detail is used to establish credibility for the fantastic parts of the story. Second, myths create an idealized version of the world that people would like to aspire to. Third, myths express truths about the societies (rather than the events) that create and believe the myths. Fourth, myths are an attempt to meet society's needs by expressing ideas that would be helpful if followed. Fifth, myths express the entire culture rather than just the thinking of a single author. Sixth, myths are a way of creating meaning out of an event that seems overwhelming otherwise.

Howell explores in depth the later writings about many of the mythical events of the Titanic. In these he finds many expressions of English Edwardian ideals of masculinity and social class. Further, parts of the myth express a desire to draw a lesson from the experience -- that of hubris (excessive pride) causing a fall. The parallels to Paradise Lost and the myth of Prometheus are immediately invoked.

The book is very well organized and clearly written. The introduction is a good overview of the book. The first chapter provides an accurate summary of what really happened on the Titanic. The second chapter explores the significance of myths and the Titanic. Chapters three through seven look at particular myths (Women and Children First! -- but some men escaped the disaster as well; Be British -- holding up the nation as an example to all; We Shall Die Like Gentlemen -- a reference to class even though a high percent of the upper class people survived; 'Nearer My God, to Thee' being played by the band -- a conflict between spiritual and secular values; and The Unsinkable Ship -- which should have been applied to Olympic, Titanic's predecessor). The conclusion makes a interesting parallel between the words used by President Reagan after the Challenger shuttle disaster and the little reported words of a duchess in unveiling a statue of the Titanic's captain in 1914. This comparison shows the fundamental needs that myth serves in a very profound way.

This book would be a good one to share with someone else (or even for a book club) and then to discuss in terms of how myths help and hurt us. Then you could discuss places where contemporary myths should be challenged. This will be a great stallbusting adventure for you!

Donald Mitchell

Coauthor of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The 2,000 Percent Solution

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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Psychobabble, March 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Myth of the Titanic (Hardcover)

Mr. Howells exams enduring myths which developed during the two years following the 1912 sinking of the Titanic. He follows "the metodological tradition of authroities such as John Grierson and Clifoord Geertz, supported by thinkers such as Hegel an Kant" in taking a case study approach to the unsinkable nature of the ship, the concept of women and children first, of being british and dying as gentelemen. For the student of the Titanic disaster, the book does not reveal any new facts, simply it seesk to assign psychoanaytical concepts.