This essay is an investigation of the popular spy novel; it compares American, British and Canadian examples of the genre, and finds close parallels in their depictions of hero, heroine, and villain. It also reveals a persistent underlying mythical pattern in their plots: the archetype of Theseus in the labyrinth, Ariadne with her saving clew of yarn, and the fearsome Minotaur. Also discussed are some variations on this pattern resulting from differences in the authors’ political attitudes, as well as structural variations between earlier and more recent examples of the genre, particularly in adaptations for film.

Professor John Hollander is a famous American poet and literary critic. This interview is an exploration of the way words, sounds, and images function in literature and art. It investigates the relations among poets, artists and literary critics with a hope to elucidate the complementary relation between creation and criticism in literary and artistic practice. The comparison between ancient Chinese poems and Western ones is also drawn.