Transcript The Mythological and Archetypal Approach

The Mythological
and Archetypal
Approach
By: Kristi, Grant, Parth, Ben, and
Shrey
Mythology
• Definition: a set of
stories, traditions, or
beliefs associated
with a particular group
or the history of an
event.
• Example of Greek
Mythology
Mythology (cont.)
• Mythology tends to be speculative and
philosophical
• such as involving:
religion
anthropology
cultural history
Note: Anthropology is the study of human beings
Mark Schorer
• An American writer,
novelist and critic
• His definition of myth:
“Myth is a fundamental, the
dramatic representation
of our deepest instinctual
life, of a primary
awareness of man in the
universe, capable of
many configurations,
upon which all particular
opinions and attitude
depends.” (William Blake:
The Politics of Vision 29)
Alan W. Watts
• A philosopher, writer,
speaker, and expert in
comparative religion
• His definition of Myth:
“Myth is to be defined as a
complex of stories—
some no doubt fact, and
some fantasy—which for
various reasons, human
beings regard as
demonstrations of the
inner meaning of the
universe and of human
life.” (7)
Archetypes
• Archetype: An original model or type after
which other similar things are patterned
:Modifs and images that tend to
elicit comparable psychological responses
and serve similar cultural functions.
Examples of Archetypes
• Water:
-mystery of creation
-birth
-death
-resurrection
-purification
-redemption
-fertility
-growth
-unconsciousness
Sea: Symbolizes Mother of all life
River: Symbolizes death and
rebirth; baptism
Sun (fire sky)
• Sun:
-creative energy
-law in nature
-consciousness
-thinking
-enlightenment
Rising Sun: symbolizes birth or
creation
Setting sun: Symbolizes death
Colors as
archetypes
RED
• Blood
• Sacrifice
• Violent passion
• disorder
GREEN
•
•
•
•
Growth
Sensation
Hope
Fertility
BLUE
• Positive
• Truth
• Religions
feeling
BLACK
•
•
•
•
•
Chaos
Mystery
Unknown
Death
evil
WHITE
• Signifying
• Light
• Purity
• innocence
A circle is an archetype
• Wholeness
• Unity
• Examples:
-mandala
-yang-yin
- ouroboros
A Serpent
• Symbol of
energy and
pure force
Numbers as
Archetypes
• Light
• Spiritual awareness
of unity
•
•
•
•
•
Life circle
4 seasons
Earth
Nature
elements
• Completion of a cycle
• Perfect order
Archetypical Woman
• Good mother:
nourishment, growth,
warmth
• Terrible mother: witch,
fear, danger
• Soul mate: beauty
Archetypal wise old man
• Knowledge
• Insight
• cleverness
Garden
•Unspoiled beauty
•paradise
Desert
• Death
• hopelessness
Archetypal Motifs and Patterns
• Motif: a recurring subject, theme, idea,
etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or
musical work.
Creation
• most fundamental of
motifs
• virtually every
mythology is built on
some account of how
the nature was
brought into existence
by some supernatural
being or beings
Immortality
• Form 1: escape from
time
• Form 2: mystical
submersion into
cyclical time (endless
death)
Hero Archetypes
• The quest: hero undertakes some long
journey where they perform impossible
tasks
Hero archetypes (cont.)
• Initiation: hero under goes ordeals in
passing from ignorance and maturity
• 3 phases1. separation
2. transformation
3. return
Hero archetypes (cont.)
• Sacrificial scapegoat: hero
must die for peoples sins and
restore land to fruitfulness
Archetypes genres
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mythos of spring- comedy
Mythos of summer- romance
Mythos of fall- tragedy
Mythos of winter- irony
To His Coy Mistress
• Uses archetypes of time and immortality
Stanza 1line1 “had we but world enough, and time….”
Line 8 “Love you ten years before the flood.”
Line 13 “ An hundred years should go to praise.”
Line 15 “ two hundred to adore each breast,”
Line 16 “ But thirty thousand to the rest.”
Each of these lines refers to their love for each other for all
of eternity.
It applies to the archetype motif of immortality in the form of
escaping from time.
To His Coy Mistress (cont.)
• Stanza 2Line 22 “Times winged chariot hurrying near:”
This references to the myth of how a winged chariot comes
to bring one to heaven.
Line 24 “Deserts of vast eternity.”
Once again this refers to the archetype of escaping from
time
To His Coy Mistress (cont.)
• Stanza 3Line 40 “Than languish in his slow-chapped power.”
Line 46 “Stand still, yet we will make him run.”
Both of these lines bring up an undefined him. This goes
along with the Greek mythology of one who is above all
humans.
Line 44 “ Thorough the iron gates of life:”
The iron gates of life are symbolizing the gates to heaven
in mythology
A Farewell to Arms
• Rain is a major archetype in A Farewell to
Arms.
• It is a pattern that whenever it rains there
is death
• Pg 4 the narrator tells how it is raining,
then he goes on to say how 7000 people
died of cholera in the army.
A Farewell to Arms (cont.)
• Also, when one of the soldiers is killed by
the mortar shell, the narrator happens to
mention that it is raining.
• Furthermore, in the end when Catherine
dies, Frederic leaves the hospital in the
rain
A Farewell to Arms (cont.)
• Throughout the book, it is snowing which
shows that it takes place during the winter
• The Archetype genre of winter is irony
• Frederic finally finding a woman he cares
about, and for her to just die at the end is
ironic.
A Farewell to Arms (cont.)
• In the book, Frederic jumps in a river to escape
from being shot.
• The archetype of a river is death, rebirth, or
baptism.
• In several critics, critics have questioned his
jumping in the river as a reference to baptism.
• However, it could be viewed as rebirth too, since
Frederic is leaving all his friends and tries to
start a new life with him and Catherine.