William G. Doty (scholar) explained

William G. Doty (1939 - 2017) was an American religious studies scholar and educator. He is an author and editor known for his writings about myth and mythology.^{[1] [2]}

Career

Doty was a professor emeritus of humanities and religious studies at the University of Alabama. He also served as Goodwin-Philpott Eminent Scholar in History at Auburn University in 1997 and 1998.

Doty published fourteen books and over seventy essays, including studies about anthropology, psychology, classics,^[3] art criticism and literary criticism.^[4]

With William J. Hynes, Doty edited and contributed to the 1993 book Mythical Trickster Figures.^[5] Another of his writings about mythology is the 2000 book Mythography: The Study of Myths and Rituals,^[6] which the Oxford Companion to World Mythology describes as "the most comprehensive and definitive study of the primary intellectual currents in the study of myths".^[7] A frequent theme in his writing was the process by which myths changed meaning and purpose depending on the life situation of the storyteller.^[8]

Doty also served as lecturer, translator and editor.

Selective publications

• Mythical Trickster Figures (editor) (1993)^[9]
• Mythography: The Study of Myths and Rituals (2000)
• The Times World Mythology (2002)
• Myth: A Handbook (2004)
• Jacking In To the Matrix Franchise with Matthew Kapell (2004)

External links

• William Doty faculty page, University of Alabama.

Notes and References

1. https://www.chronicle.com/article/Mythical-Trickster-Figures-/72149 "Mythical Trickster Figures:"
2. Book: Matthew Wilhelm Kapell. Stephen McVeigh. The Films of James Cameron: Critical Essays. 29 September 2011. McFarland. 978-0-7864-8754-7. 6.
3. Book: Susan Ackerman. When Heroes Love: The Ambiguity of Eros in the Stories of Gilgamesh and David. 1 June 2005. Columbia University Press. 978-0-231-50725-7. 80.
4. Book: Richard A. Burridge. What Are the Gospels?: A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography. 9 August 2004. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. 978-0-8028-0971-1. 13.
5. Book: Harold Bloom. The Trickster. 2010. Infobase Publishing. 978-1-60413-445-2. 109.
6. Book: "Mythography" - reviewed in The Bloomsbury Review Fall 1986. 5, Parts 3-6. 1986. Owaissa Publishing Company.
7. Book: Leeming, David . Oxford University Press . 9780195156690 . The Oxford Companion to World Mythology . 2005-11-17 . 106 .
8. Book: M. Grau. Refiguring Theological Hermeneutics: Hermes, Trickster, Fool. 17 December 2014. Palgrave Macmillan US. 978-1-137-32455-9. 67.
9. Book: J. Weinstock. The Works of Tim Burton: Margins to Mainstream. 6 November 2013. Palgrave Macmillan US. 978-1-137-37083-9. 239.