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Epic Intent

Epic Intent. The Great Purpose of Small Stories. Defining “Epic”. A Formal Mode Of Story Structure Classical Romance (not strictly “ agapé ”) Four parts, or “movements” 1. the quest 2. the test 3. the seeming defeat 4. the ultimate victory

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Epic Intent

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  1. Epic Intent The Great Purpose of Small Stories

  2. Defining “Epic” A Formal Mode Of Story Structure Classical Romance (not strictly “agapé”) Four parts, or “movements” 1. the quest 2. the test 3. the seeming defeat 4. the ultimate victory Joseph Campbell: The Hero's Journey (in 12 stages) Examples: Epic of Gilgamesh The Odyssey The Aeneid Beowulf The Book of One Thousand and One Nights Lord of the Rings Trilogy The Mabinogion The Tale of the Heike Star Wars, Episodes IV-VI any story arc in Bleach Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Game Of Thrones

  3. Stories Of …Society and Place Immigration and Relocation: Discovery and Formation of Society Diaspora Political Exile Migratory or nomadic populations Economically motivated emigration Forced relocations Morality and Justice: Building and Maintenance of Society Law (Establishing and Breaking of Them) Values Religious Principles Customs and Moral Traditions

  4. Stories Of Lineage and History Courage, Death and Heroism People who risk their lives for the sovereignty of their community identities The collective bravery of a community Adversity and triumph leading to a celebration of an identity Marriages, Birth and Love A record of the duration of a culture; proof of its success The continuity of traditions longstanding traditions; a reminder of origins The creation of economic units (family) Children and population A social contract promising a people's destiny

  5. Stories Of Culture and Heritage Trickster Tales and Comedy Lessons in survival Warnings about proscribed behaviors Reinforcement of social norms Cautionary tales about “the outsider” Etiological lessons: explains the cause of common phenomena Ghost Stories and the Supernatural Morality tales The survival of a cultural identity after death Spiritual approval of customs and norms Unseen forces that judge and reward our behaviors from "beyond"

  6. Folklore and Literature

  7. Life and Death Motivate Literature We tell stories for their relevance to our life and to living. We create stories with the belief that they are deathless. They prevail in the minds of our audience after they are told. They continue to be told after we are dead. We interpret stories for their messages to us. The mystery of birth and existence Our origins, personal and cultural The embarkation of the hero's or heroine's quest

  8. Paul Tillich: Anxiety and Nonbeing Background 20th century German-American theologian and Christian existential philosopher. Principle In the face of death and nonbeing, we create objects of our anxiety (our fear) to vanquish or overcome. Application Three kinds of anxiety: 1. Ontological anxiety: Why were we born? What is our destiny? What is our purpose? 2. Spiritual anxiety: What becomes of our spirit, our soul, our ego, when we die? What awaits us, if anything, in "the next life"? 3. Moral anxiety: How will we be remembered? What will we have added to the legacy of our family, our community, our heritage, humankind?

  9. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy 5 4 3 2 1

  10. Life and Literature Overlap Our personal experiences relate to literature and folklore. We present our experiences as anecdotes. We frame our tales using the same modes of storytelling. Our personal experiences create literature and folklore. We draw from what we know to tell stories. Our shared histories become a single story. history: from Greek historein“to inquire into, examine, relate” (fromhistor-, histōrjudge) Folklore and literature inspire or influence our experiences. We use the same models of analysis to understand our experiences. We borrow archetypes and characters to anticipate the motives and actions of people. We use the outcomes of stories as goals for social and cultural projects. We future project reality based on the complete stories in literature.

  11. Exercise 1: Story Mash-Ups Gather into four groups (approx. five or six), and review your anecdotes from the last week. Choose what your group agrees to be the strongest story in your group, and reinvent it as a modern folktale with widespread appeal to a 21st century American readers or audiences. Select a main genre for the story, and revise it accordingly; however, include at least one noteworthy element from everyone else's story in the group (e.g., characters, settings, situations, etc.). Be prepared to explain how the new folktale is modern and American, as well as how readers should relate to it in the following ways: Society and geographical place; Lineage and history; Culture and heritage.

  12. ExerciseGather into four groups to examine the assigned works of Native American folklore. In ten minutes, discuss what you believe is the primary etiological focus of the story, and what its main theme is as a work of folklore with an epic intent (Culture and Heritage; Lineage and History; Society and Place). Be ready for one person in your group to paraphrase the story, and for the group as a whole to defend its decisions about theme and purpose. Discuss the extent to which these stories go beyond basic needs: What needs do they address? What kinds of anxieties? Exercise 2 ETIOLOGY: a branch of knowledge concerned with the causes of particular phenomena Group A: Iroquois Confederacy, "Creation Story" (21) Group B: Cherokee, "Coyote, Skunk, and the Prairie Dogs"(150) Group C: Lakota, "Wohpe and the Gift Of the Pipe" (on-line resource) Group D: Iroquois Confederacy, "Origin Of Folk Stories" (on-line resource)

  13. The year is 2210. Faster-than-light travel via trans-warp technology has made it possible for humans to go into the furthest reaches of the galaxy in the span of a single generation. You and several hundred other people have just arrived to colonize an Earth-like planet in the Gliese system. Collaborate on a folktale that you hope will be passed down through generations, about the epic journey to this new home. Choose one concept from the left column, and pair it with one from the right column, to help you focus your story's theme. (15 minutes) Exercise 3 A. Ontological anxiety B. Spiritual anxiety C. Moral Anxiety 1. Society and Place 2. Culture and Heritage 3. Lineage and History Alternative Adapt one of the four assigned Native American folktales into a story that could be passed on to 2nd generation colonists, either as an origin tale or as an etiological "lesson" story.

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