Myth in Edgar Wallace's Prose

Abstract

The thesis will focus on the work of Edgar Wallace in the context of mythic literature. The first part introduces theories of myth and its involvement in the work of the modernists. The second section explains the dual nature of myth as truth or falsity and the concept of the displacement of myth to romance. The third section focuses on primitivism as an antidote to an overcivilized society or a form of civilizational decline. The thesis concludes by summarizing all the literary devices Edgar Wallace uses to increase suspense in his work.