1 / 11

Quick Word on Mythology

Quick Word on Mythology. Mr. Moccia ’ s English I: Honors/Pre-IB. Defining Mythology. OED (a great source!)

kasimir-hodge
Download Presentation

Quick Word on Mythology

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Quick Word onMythology Mr. Moccia’s English I: Honors/Pre-IB

  2. Defining Mythology • OED (a great source!) • a. A traditional story, typically involving supernatural beings or forces or creatures, which embodies and provides an explanation or justification for something such as the early history of a society, a religious belief or ritual, or a natural phenomenon • b. As a mass noun: such stories collectively or as a genre

  3. Defining some more… • Also from the OED… • A widespread but untrue or erroneous story or belief • A popular conception of a person or thing which exaggerates or idealizes the truth • Although these last two definitions are important to know and will be discussed, the former definition is the one that will be used in class

  4. Why do myths exist? • To explain the inexplicable • Myths often use the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity Myths usually express the values and/or beliefs of the cultural system from which they came

  5. What myths are not… • Legends • stories about the (usually more recent) past, which generally include, or are based on, some historical events • Fairy Tales • focused on human heroes; stories which lack any definite historical setting and often include such things as fairies, witches, a fairy guide and animal characters.

  6. Types of Myths • Creation myths: describes how the world or universe came into being • Origin myths (aetiologies): describe the beginnings of a custom, name or object • Ritual myths: explain the performance of certain religious practices or patterns and associated with temples or centers of worship

  7. Types, continued • Eschatological myths: stories which describe catastrophic ends to the present world order • Social myths: reinforce or defend current social values or practices • Trickster myth: concerns itself with the pranks or tricks played by gods or heroes

  8. Interpreting Myths • Many different ways throughout history • Jung: • tried to understand the psychology behind world myths. Jung argued that the gods of mythology are not material beings, but archetypes — or mental states and moods — that all humans can feel, share, and experience. He and his adherents believe archetypes directly affect our subconscious perceptions and way of understanding

  9. Myth as form of Truth • Lewis and Tolkien believed in myths as expressing Truth

  10. Why do we study myths? • To understand history • To understand our cultural heritage • To understand the symbolism, language, references, and much more that you will see throughout your educational lives – and beyond • To establish your foundational knowledge, upon which everything else will rest more solidly

  11. Allusions Allusion: “An implied or indirect reference, especially in literature” A lot of important literature, past and current, take their root in different muthologies. We need to become experts at picking up and analyzing these allusions.

More Related