HUM-8 Lecture Notes - Lecture 32: Chives, Pan Flute, Tyrant
Document Summary
Tricksters are a kind of hero, do not seem heroic. Predominant characteristic is guile in human relations, power broker, chives strength by violating boundaries set up by society. The trickster tries to play a trick and he is caught and is disgraced, in this case he is the dupe and the other power brokers punish him. Scholar john w roberts emphasizes the social dimensions of the tales. Trickster tales flourish in response to scarcity and hardship. Jay edwards believes that the importance of the trickster tale is that it captures important ethical dilemmas for both the individual and society. Trickster tales inevitably end in disharmony and the tricksters goal is to maximize short term economic gain at the cost of long term goals like social cohesion. Trickster can learn secrets about others because they are invisible creatures . The trickster does not act right or wrong, he is amoral, he acts in the sheer joy of boundary breaking.
