Academic theory is usually seen as pretty stuffy, but Eco helps lighten things up by analyzing stuff like Superman and James Bond. This book is made up of eight essays, but it's Eco's analysis of pop-culture narratives that's most useful for getting a handle on how narratology works.
This also goes to show that narrative plays a big role in all types of texts—not just myths and fairy tales, but also the stuff that we read or watch in our everyday lives. James Bond and Superman have been seriously popular for years and are still big news today, so it makes sense to ask what makes their narratives work.
When discussing James Bond and Superman, Eco talks about the predictability of these narratives and characters. Why would the authors choose to put together narratives in this way? And what's the appeal from a reader's perspective?
As for the Superman comic strip, Eco notes that although each week sees the start of a new story rather than carrying on from the week before, there still has to be some sense of connection between these stories. How, then, do writers create a successful balance?