Prometheus, the Titan that challenged the sovereign power of Zeus by offering fire to mankind, is one of the great mythological rebels, as Aeschylus showed in his homonymous tragedy, one of the main literary sources that have developed this myth. A man-maker, he was soon compared with Christ. This myth, both in its Prometheus Pyrophoros and Prometheus Plasticator variants, has been controversial throughout the ages. However, by the nineteenth century, Prometheus had become a symbol: that of oppressed mankind striving to break its chains. That is how Marxism and the working class movements assimilated the myth, demanding the arrival of a new liberator of the proletariat. Authors like Goethe (Prometheus) or Percy B. Shelley (Prometheus Unbound) were seduced by the strength of this mythological character, whose transgression was also innovatively treated during the same century (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus).

In the 20th and 21st centuries, Prometheus continues to inspire artistic creation: Gide (Prométhée mal enchaîné, 1899), Klaus Bertling and Johannes Menge (Prometheus: ein chorisches Spiel vom Licht, 1933), Luigi Albini (Prometeo, 1953), Max Aub (Confesión de Prometeo N., 1953), the Ridley Scott film Prometheus (2012), and so on. This whole body of work has drawn the attention of literary critics from Raymond Trousson (Le Thème de Prométhée dans la littérature européenne, 1976) to Carlos García Gual (Prometeo: mito y literatura, 2009). Each new reading has added new layers of connotation and interpretation to the Greek myth, transforming and enriching it, and generating a growing and changing literary network.

Amaltea. Journal of Myth Criticism requests original contributions that address the myth of “Prometheus the Rebel” in the context of contemporaneity (20th and 21st centuries), or that deal with the reception of ancient, medieval and modern texts on the figure of Prometheus in contemporary literature and art (20th and 21st centuries). Authors are free to choose whatever texts, literary genres or epistemological treatment they consider suitable for their study. Articles may discuss plastic, musical and performance arts. The coordinating team of this thematic issue will favour articles that adhere to these parameters: adequate topic, myth critical approach, scientific methodology (critical and bibliographical apparatus), originality, quality of content and clarity of expression. Articles must conform to the journal’s submission guidelines. Articles on the reception of other myths or mythical themes in contemporary literature will also be considered for publication in the “Miscellany” section of the journal. We also accept “Reviews” on publications or events related to mythology.

Authors are invited to send their anonymous articles, written in one of the official languages of the journal (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese) as Word attachments before 1st February 2012 to the General Editor of Amaltea (amaltea@filol.ucm.es). In another attachment, they should send a cover page with their name, surname, title of the article, email address and academic affiliation. The Director will acknowledge receipt of papers before 1st March 2012. For more information on our editorial procedures, please refer to the Editorial Process. All correspondence with Amaltea may take place in English or Spanish. Issue no. 4 will be published in October 2012.