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From the University of Florida College of Fine Arts, Charlie Mitchell and distinguished colleagues from across America present an introductory text for theatre and theoretical production. This book seeks to give insight into the people and processes that create theater. It does not strip away the feeling of magic but to add wonder for the artistry that make a production work well.

Today people often use the word “myth” to mean an untrue story or false rumor. For example, if one person asked, “Is Friday the 13th an unlucky day?” another person might answer, “No, that is just a myth.” But the ancient Greeks did not use the word mythos (μῦθος) in this way. For the Greeks, a mythos was simply a story. It was not important whether the story was true or false; what was important was the fact that the mode of speech was that of a story. The Greek word logos (λόγος), on the other hand, means a rational explanation or analytical statement. These two words, mythos and logos, point to two different kinds of speech, corresponding to two different ways of thinking. One was not considered more important than the other; they were just different. If you put the two words together: mythos + logos = mythology. And “mythology” is the explanation or the analytical study of myths.

This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for Ancient Egyptian art.

A free and open-source introduction to the art and science of moving pictures, offering in-depth exploration of how cinema communicates, and what, exactly, it is trying to say.

This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for the Ancient Aegean, including Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean art.

This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for the Ancient Etruscan art.

This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for Ancient Greek art.

This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for the Ancient Roman art