[Phoenix] is a secular drama whose final statement is essentially religious. This statement results from a highly integrated structure that fuses the ancient tale with pagan myths and a Christian sub-structure—all subsumed within a vital, entertaining piece of dramatic craftsmanship. (p. 4)

Phoenix embraces all three levels [of myth classification: Legends, based on historical fact, Folk or Fairy Tales, and Religious Myths]…. At the level of Fairy Tale, the title indicates the traditional pattern Fry wishes to evoke of the fabulous bird, the symbol of love, which is consumed in flames only to emerge from its ashes with renewed youth to live out a further cycle. Also in the Fairy Tale tradition, Dynamene is a Sleeping Beauty awakened by her Prince. On the level of Religious Myth, Phoenix is a comic analogue for the Christian pattern of atonement and resurrection. (pp. 4-5)

The effect of [the numerous] mythic...