CLAS104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Sophocles, Xenophanes, Collective Unconscious
15 Apr 2020
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(mythos) - word, speech, story but not every story is considered a myth: definition, definition proper. "myths are traditional tales, which maintain contact with the past and hand on inherited wisdom to the future. Traditional tales explain a society to itself, promulgating its concerns and values. They describe patterns of behaviour as models for members of a society, especially in times of crisis. " (b. powell) A classical myth is a story that, through its classical form, has attained a kind of immortality because its inherent archetypal beauty, profundity, and power have inspired rewarding renewal and transformation by successive generations. (morford, lenardon et al. , p. 25) Nb: continued retellings in literature and movies: definition proper, essence of myth, traditional ie. passed down usually orally at first eg. Virgil (d. 19 bc) wrote up stories of aeneas (from troy!) and. Nb. compare how we receive the indigenous stories: essence of myth, traditional, resonant/useful. Useful for everyday lives (alex the great and the iliad)
