I. Anthropological
myth
1.
Definition
From the Greek mythos, myth means story or word. Mythology is the
study of myth. As stories (or narratives), myths articulate how characters
undergo or enact an ordered sequence of events. The term myth has come to
refer to a certain genre (or category) of stories that share characteristics
that make this genre distinctly different from other genres of oral narratives, such as legends and
folktales. Many definitions of myth repeat similar general aspects of the genre
and may be summarized thus: Myths are symbolic
tales of the distant past (often primordial times) that concern cosmogony and
cosmology (the origin and nature of the universe), may be connected to belief
systems or rituals, and may serve to direct social action and values.
The classic definition of myth from folklore studies finds
clearest delineation in William Bascom’s article “The Forms of Folklore: Prose
Narratives” where myths are defined as tales
believed as true, usually sacred, set in the distant past or other worlds or
parts of the world, and with extra-human, inhuman, or heroic characters. Such myths, often described as “cosmogonic,” or
“origin” myths, function to provide order or cosmology, based on “cosmic” from
the Greek kosmos meaning order (Leeming 1990, 3, 13; Bascom, 1965).
Cosmology’s concern with the order of the universe finds narrative, symbolic
expression in myths, which thus often help establish important values or
aspects of a culture’s worldview. For many people, myths remain
value-laden discourse that explain much about human nature.
(Definition according to Mary Magoulick)
http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/defmyth.htm
2. Characteristics of the Myth:
-
Briefly
speaking a myth is any religion that is not believed in anymore. The profaned
sacred.
-
A
myth has a sacred dimension.
-
The
myth, as a belief, is accompanied by a performance reenacting the narratives.
These performances are referred to as rites or rituals.
-
A
myth is a social phenomenon. It is accepted by a group. If not accepted by a
group, it would be nothing more than a personal conviction.
-
A
myth production relies on the power of persuasion of the mythmaker. A mythmaker
must be charismatic and eloquent to be able to persuade and convince his group
to believe in his narrative.
-
The
function of the myth is to establish a certain order within the group
-
Myths
have a counter-factual nature. The events and the actors do not conform with
the ordinary world and reality that we are acquainted with.
II. Literary myth / Archetype:
A literary myth is a character prototype
that is recurrent and overly used in literature that it becomes an archetype.
Even when overused they still serve their purpose of enriching meanings and
establishing specific codes. They are never exhausted because they are adapted
to different cultural contexts through time and space. Their evocative power
remains intact because they are the best possible example to express the
intended meaning mainly because they are the original type.
1. Mythical or Archetypal Criticism
Carl Jung
first applied the term archetype to literature. He recognized that there were
universal patterns in all stories and mythologies regardless of culture or
historical period and hypothesized that part of the human mind contained a
collective unconscious shared by all members of the human species, a sort of
universal, primal memory. Joseph Campbell took Jung’s ideas and applied them to
world mythologies. In A Hero with a Thousand Faces, among other works, he
refined the concept of hero and the hero’s journey— George Lucas used
Campbell’s writings to formulate the Star Wars saga. Recognizing archetypal
patterns in literature brings patterns we all unconsciously respond to in
similar ways to a conscious level.
The term archetype can be applied to:
•
An image
•
A theme
•
A symbol
•
An idea
•
A character
type
•
A plot pattern
•
Archetypes can be expressed in
• Myths
• Dreams
• Literature
•
Religions
• Fantasies
• Folklore
•
Heroic Archetypes:
1.
Hero as warrior (Odysseus): A near god-like hero faces
physical challenges and external enemies
2.
Hero as lover (Prince Charming): A pure love motivate
hero to complete his quest
3.
Hero as Scapegoat (Jesus): Hero suffers for the sake of
others
4.
Transcendent Hero: The hero of tragedy whose fatal flaw
brings about his downfall, but not
without achieving some kind of transforming
realization or wisdom (Greek and Shakespearean
tragedies—Oedipus, Hamlet,
Macbeth, etc.)
5. Romantic/Gothic Hero: Hero/lover with a decidedly dark side (Mr.
Rochester in Jane Eyre)
6. Proto-Feminist Hero: Female heroes (The Awakening by Kate Chopin)
7.
Apocalyptic Hero: Hero who faces the possible destruction
of society
8.
Anti-Hero: A non-hero, given the vocation of failure,
frequently humorous (Homer Simpson)
9. Defiant Anti-hero: Opposer of society’s definition of heroism/goodness.
(Heart of Darkness)
10. Unbalanced Hero: The Protagonist who has (or must pretend to have) mental
or emotional
deficiencies (Hamlet, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest)
11. The Other—the Denied Hero: The protagonist whose status or essential
otherness makes heroism
possible (Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The
Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan)
12.
The Superheroic: Exaggerates the normal proportions of
humanity; frequently has divine or supernatural origins. In some sense, the
superhero is one apart, someone who does not quite
belong, but who is
nonetheless needed by society. (Mythological heroes, Superman)
Types of Archetypal Journeys
1.
The quest for identity
2.
The epic journey to find the promised land/to found the
good city
3.
The quest for vengeance
4.
The warrior’s journey to save his people
5.
The search for love (to rescue the princess/damsel in
distress)
6.
The journey in search of knowledge
7.
The tragic quest: penance or self-denial
8.
The fool’s errand
9.
The quest to rid the land of danger
10.
The grail quest (the quest for human perfection)
II. Study Case
The
Myth of Scheherazade a recycling of some old
myths: Scheherazade is a
woman who saves her people from the tyranny of the king Shehrayar at the risk
of losing her own life. She is like Ishtar (a Jewish mythological figure) who
saves her people. She succeeds in her task mainly through her captivating
narratives. She is a little bit like Circe who captivates sailors through the
beauty of her voice and the magic of her chants. She traps them in her
enchanted island where it is not possible to escape her grips anymore. Strong
and powerful men succumb and are sort of hypnotized. Like the king who is
hypnotized by Scheherazade narratives that he keeps on postponing her execution
to the following morning just to know the outcome of her captivating narrative.
The endless suspense of her complex narratives lasted for 1001 nights when
Scheherazade the story teller was meant to survive for only one night.
Scheherazade
in literature:
The character of Scheherazade has come to
be an archetype in literature because of its recurrence in literary works. The
impact of such a character on world literature is so powerful that one comes to
think of Scheherazade as a real person who truly existed at a given moment in human
history. We come to doubt that she is a purely fictional character.
An example of texts using the myth of
Scheherazade is Assia Djebar’s A Sister to Scheherazade. She plays with the
archetype to heighten the idea of feminine solidarity / bonding that Feminists
consider as the key to overcome patriarchy. Assia Djebar brings to light the
character of Dunyazade. A character that has long been in the shadows when all
the lights are stolen by Scheherazade. Djebar argues that there would be no
possibility for Scheherazade to be in the light without her sister being in
shadow for her.
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