Jody Gentian Bower

Cultural mythologist Jody Gentian Bower worked as a science writer and editor for three decades before earning her PhD in Mythological Studies with a Depth Psychology Emphasis from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2012. She now teaches and lectures about archetypal and mythological motifs in modern culture. She is the author of Jane Eyre’s Sisters: How Women Live and Write the Heroine Story, a nonfiction book that examines the motifs and characters of the “wandering heroine” story that has been told by women authors—and male authors such as Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and J.R.R. Tolkien—for centuries. Jody has been a science fiction and fantasy fan since adolescence. She also loves movies. She is convinced that shifts in cultural consciousness can be seen in works of popular culture well before scholars and analysts become aware of them. You can read more about her book as well as read her blog on archetypes and myths in films on her website, http://jodybower.com.

Moving In With Dad

It’s the time of life when responsibilities reverse and the parents who raised us now need our care and consideration. For many this means either moving one or both parents into a home of one of their children, or finding a suitable retirement or assisted living situation for them. My family’s chosen another solution. Dad, … Moving In With Dad

Looking Forward

A friend recently asked me what I thought of all the dystopian views of our future often portrayed in movies and television shows—and predicted by certain people sure that election of the “other” candidate is going to lead to doom and destruction. Here is my answer to him: Ah, dystopian futures, we certainly do love … Looking Forward

Beginning Again . . . and Again

Anyone who has been divorced or widowed at midlife knows about starting life anew, as do those who have lost their jobs or found themselves at loose ends after the departure of the kids for college—and their own futures. After I found myself suddenly single and uprooted, I took the opportunity to live a lifelong … Beginning Again . . . and Again