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10
Introduction
tury.Teechoingmythemergeswhenmythisneitherentirelygonenorstrong
enoughtoassertitselfinthetraditionalway.Implodedyetweaklypresent,bibli-
calstoriesintheformofechoingmythsstillhelptoexploretheworldandto
thinkaboutsomenewpossibilitiesforbeing-in-commoninBritishsociety.For
betterorworse,theechoingmythresonateswiththecurrentlyimportantissues,
whichwillbediscussedinthesubsequentchaptersofthisbook:theproblem
relatedtothefeministidealsofthel970sandrelationshipsbetweenwomen
(Chapter2),thecrisisofnationalidentityandmeaningofBritishness(Chapter
3),theissueoftheprotectionagainstintoleranceinBritishsociety(Chapter4).
Teconceptoftheechoingmythwillbecentralbothfortheparticularinter-
pretationsinthesubsequentchaptersandforthelargerargumentinthisstudy.
AsIwillbearguingintheclosingpartofthebook,theuseoftheechoingmyth
infictionofthelatetwentieth-andearlytwenty-firstcenturycanbeconstrued
asasymptomoftheemergentstructureoffeeling,whosecharactersimultane-
ouslypartakesofpostmodernismandgoesbeyondit.Notyetunivocallydefined
orlabelled,thisstructureoffeelingismostfrequentlyidentifiedasatensionor
oscillationbetweenthepostmoderndoubtaboutsenseandthepost-postmodern
searchforsense(e.g.Toth2015;VermeulenanddenAkker2010;Holland2013;
Boxall2013).Teechoingmythisadiscursivespaceinwhichpostmodernism
isstilloperativeyetbeginstobeadulterated.Seenthatway,theechoingmyth
canbetreatedasaliteraryformwhich,thoughdependentontheresidualand
dominantstrategies,makesroomfortheemergentformsandstaysrelevantin
thetransformedculturalcontext.Whiletheechoingmythdeconstructsmythic
narratives,exposingtheirmetaphysicalviolenceandideologicalunderpinnings,
itsfunctioningcannotbereducedtothecomplacentlypostmodernistincredulity
towards(andsuspensionof)ideaslikecommunityorsincerity.Teechoingmyth
notonlydissectsandcriticizesthewaybiblicalnarrativespervadecontemporary
Britishculture,butalsotreatsthissite-clearingoperationasanopportunity
toarticulateamorepost-postmodernist-bothunironicandself-consciously
non-idealistic-desireforcommonality.Intheechoingmyth,thepostmodern
self-reflexivityandscepticismacquireanewshapeanddirection,i.e.theybe-
comeinstrumentsoftheneithercynicalnornaivestruggleforthe(somewhat
outmoded)ideassuchasresponsibilityordecency.Initsmixtureofdetachment
andsincerity,theechoingmythbearswitnesstothechanginginflectionof
contemporaryculture,which“attemptsinspiteofitsinevitablefailure,[łand]
seeksforeverforatruththatitneverexpectstofind”(VermeulenanddenAkker
2010:5).Spanningtheshared,biblicalmyths,therecognizablypostmodern
devicesandtheemergentculturaltendencies,theechoingmythgivesamore
palpableshapetotransformationsandtheincipientculturalphenomena.
Temostimmediatecontextfortheechoingmythsexaminedinthisbook
isthepost-war,deep-goingchangeinthecharacterandintensityofChristianity
inBritain.TechangehasbeendiscussedbyCallumBrownandHughMcLeod,
