Myths, folktales, and archetypes

1. Myths, folktales, and archetypes Understanding how culture shapes our values.

2. What is a myth? • A traditional story connected with the beliefs of a people, usually attempting to account for something in nature or history. A myth has LESS historical background than a LEGEND.

3. What is a legend • A story handed down from the past, often associated with some period in the history of a people. A LEGEND differs from a MYTH in having SOME historical truth and often less of the supernatural.

4. 7 functions of a myth • To explain the creation of the world/universe • To explain the human condition • Why there is suffering and death, why people are flawed, and what happens to people after they die. • To explain natural phenomena • lack of rain, floods, plagues, etc. • To explain the nature of gods and goddesses and how they interact with human beings • To explain meanings behind religious rituals, customs, and beliefs • To explain and record history • To teach moral lessons

5. What is a folktale? • A type of early literature passed orally from generation to generation, and written down later. The authorship of folk literature is unknown.

6. Difference between myth and folktale • Folktales are secular or nonreligious • Folktales feature magic and gods and goddesses but they are not the central figures in the story • Folktale heroes tend to be common, everyday folk who don’t have superpowers

7. Characterization • The process by which an author reveals a character’s personality • There are five methods that use INDIRECT characterization, and one method that uses DIRECT characterization

8. 6 types of characterization • By the views of other characters • By recording what a character says (Dialogue) • By revelation of characters’ private thoughts • By showing the character’s actions • By the description of their appearance • By telling us DIRECTLY what the character is like: kind, untrustworthy, etc.

9. Point of view • The narrative situation a writer uses to present the actions and characters of a story. • First person POV: Narrated by one of its’ characters. • Third person POV: Narrated by a narrator who does not participate in the action. • OMNISCIENT POV: Able to see into the minds of all the characters. • LIMITED POV: Confined to a single character’s perceptions. • OBJECTIVE POV: Describing only what can be seen like a newspaper reporter.