I have to begin by saying that I've always liked myths and mythology. I find it fascinating to explore the attempts humans make to explain what is often unexplainable. It also interests me to see in what ways myths shape beliefs and the resulting culture. Often, myths seem to be so deeply embedded in our subconscious that they cannot be shaken loose by the most rigorous scientific findings. Perhaps we need our myths more than we need the truth......
In writing my own myth, I realized just how malleable this literary form is - there are endless possibilities, not only of stories to tell, but the ways in which to tell them. It made me appreciate the liveliness of what was once a purely oral form - the immediacy of story-telling, the synergy between orator and listener. In fact, I told the story of my myth to my husband over dinner, and he sat as quiet and enraptured as a child at story time. As a story-teller, I can embellish on the spot, and my own emotion and performance bring the imaginary elements to a new level of enjoyment.
Once a myth is written down, it becomes more static. I begin to expect it to be linear, a little more believable, or at least analyzable from an academic viewpoint. I realize that some of the sheer joy of story-telling is lost in simply reading words on a page. This doesn't mean I don't still enjoy reading mythology, but I will definitely be aware of what is missing.
As a teacher, this was a key insight for me. I don't think I would ever assign my students to read a myth and then write a paper about it; I may not even do that much class discussion. I would instead do something like what we did in class - I would have the kids get up on their feet and do some sort of presentation, let them ham it up even, as long as they got the key points of the story. Then we could talk about the cultural influences of myths and why we study them etc. etc. The academics would come after the fun.
I thoroughly enjoy creating my own myth, and I would definitely assign my students to do so. Creating a class website with everyone's myth would be a great group project, or even a book with each person's myth and illustrations included. And of course, having students willing to tell the class the story of the myth they wrote would be the best part. Perhaps we could even collaborate with the Drama Club....
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Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteYour enthusiasm for mythology shines through your work and in the presentation you gave in class. I could tell that you were well acquainted with this subject matter. It is interesting that you thought this form was malleable as I had a difficult time with it being confining. Thinking about it further, I agree that there are endless explanations but there are definite patterns for those stories that have been laid down through the history of mythology.
I liked the point you made that this was originally an oral tradition. It explains how mythology can become embellished over time, and the of the pattern’s simplicity since they would need to be memorized. By the way, where does one get a husband that will lay down and listen to a story? ☺
When you said, “we need our myths more than we need the truth”—they may be the same. Our scientific explanations are attempts to answer these same questions. The fact that we can point to repeated tests or documents conceals the fact that we do not know the answers. They’re just not as fun to tell around the campfire.
Alanna
You mention how myths are deeply embedded in the subconscious. When I think of it, there is a dreamlike quality that many myths possess. There is a suspension of reality. There are archetypal characters that often represent human virtues and foibles. One of the genres of literature and film I enjoy is magic realism which I imagine stems from mythology and folk tales.
ReplyDeleteI, too, find it important to keep in mind that many myths were meant to be told in the expressive performances of storytellers. In my blog, I discuss how sometimes in the analysis process of myths, or even literature for that matter, it is easy to forget that numerous works also serve a purpose of entertainment. Therefore, it makes sense to approach the teaching of mythology in the classroom in some of the ways you suggested---connect to the fun of the story first and then go into the analysis that puts the myth into a global perspective. I am not necessarily opposed to having students write formal analyses. I would, however, do my best to also include some of the projects you mention. I really like the idea of putting together an illustrated book of the students’ myths. A whole unit on mythology would be a lot of fun, as well as informative, if it is presented in a creative and interactive manner.