Academic literature on the topic 'Mythopoeia'

Cette thèse poursuit une recherche précédente menée hors du cadre universitaire (Harry Morgan, Principes des littératures dessinées, Editions de Tan 2,2003). Elle est une contribution à une théorie de la bande dessinée (une stripologie) moderne, résolument empiriste, qui situe les procédés formels qu'elle identifie dans le contexte général de la narration visuelle et relativement à des support qui sont le livre, l'estampe, le journal quotidien, le périodique, etc. L'étude est centrée sur l'interaction entre les contraintes physiques, sémiotiques et éditoriales pesant sur le médium et le contenu. Pénétrant outre les apparences du monde d la fiction, elle aborde les grandes lois de l'organisation de ce monde. On propose d'appeler fonction mythopoétique des littératures dessinées cette définition d'un univers par les caractéristiques formelles et les mécanismes spécifiques du médium. Le corpus comprend la planche dominicale Zig et Puce d'Alain Saint-Ogan, le newspaper stripLittle Orphan Annie de Harold Gray, le comic book The Fantastic Four de Jack Kirby et la totalité des récits en bande dessinée de Jean-Claude Forest<br>Our thesis elaborates upon a previous scholarly work (Harry Morgan, Principes des littératures dessinées, Editions de l'an 2, 2003). Our aim is to contribute to an empirical theory of comics (a stripology), which places the rhetorical devices found in comic book or comic strip stories in the wider context of visual narrative but also in the narrower context of the relevant editorial form, such as a book, a print, a daily newspaper, a periodical publication (such as a weekly), etc. The analysis is centered on the interaction between the physical, semiotical, and editorial constraints of the comic narrative and the contents of the stories. This leads not onty to an examination of the peculiarities of the fictional worlds of comics, but to a wider understanding of the laws that govern such worlds. It is suggested that such a definition of an imaginary world by the formal characteristics and the narrative mechanisms of the comic form is a function of a mythopoetic potentiality of comics. The Sunday page of Zig et Puce by Alain Saint-Ogan, the newspaper strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray, thé comic book The Fantastic Four by Jack Kirby and the entire œuvre of Jean-Claude Forest are examined in detail

This thesis concerns the novelist John Fowles and analyses his seven novels in the order in which they were written. The study reveals an emergent artistic trajectory, which has been variously categorized by literary critics as postmodern. However, I suggest that Fowles's work is more complex and significant than such a reductive and simplistic label would suggest. Specifically, this study argues that Fowles's work contributes to the reinvigoration of the novel form by a radical extension of the modernist project of the literary avant-garde, interrogating various conventions associated with both literary realism and the realism of the literary modernists while still managing to evade a subjective realism. Of particular interest to the study is Fowles's treatment of his female characters, which evolves over time, indicative of an emergent quasi-feminism. This study counters the claims of many contemporary literary critics that Fowles's work cannot be reconciled with any feminist ideology. Specifically, I highlight the increasing centrality of Fowles's female characters in his novels, accompanied by a growing focus on the mysterious and the uncanny. Fowles's work increasingly associates mystery with creativity, femininity, and the mythic, suggests that mystery is essential for growth and change, both in society and in the novel form itself, and implies that women, rather than men, are naturally predisposed to embrace it. Fowles's novels reflect a worldview that challenges an over-reliance on the empirical and rational to the exclusion of the mysterious and the intuitive. I suggest that Fowles's novels evince an increasingly mythopoeic realism, constantly testing the limits of what can be apprehended and articulated in language, striving towards a realism that is universal and transcendent.

Abtract of essay: Mythopoeia in Marina Tsvetaeva's after Russia. This study examines the use of myth in Marina Tsvetaeva's last poetry collection, After Russia. The study will focus on the myth of Orpheus, the archetypal poet, as well as the metamorphoses of the Greek bard as presented by Tsvetaeva in her poetry. Tsvetaeva's appropriation of the mythic personae of Eurydice and the Cumaean Sibyl will also be explored in relation to the Orphic myth and the way these characters were used to express the comingVintoVbeing of the poet. A brief overview will be given of the mythical figures under discussion as they appear in literature. The study will then consider Tsvetaeva's use of these mythic characters to elucidate her poetic philosophy, the task of the poet and the essence of poetry. Finally, for background information, a short biographical sketch is included.

This thesis studies metaphor, myth and their imaginative aspects in the poetry of William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. The thesis argues that a comprehensive understanding of metaphor and myth cannot be done in the works of these poets without seeing them as faces of the same coin, and taking into consideration the role of the creating subject and its imagination in their production. Relying on Kantian, Romantic, and modern Neo-Kantian ideas of imagination, metaphor and myth, the study tries to indicate that imagination is an inherently metaphorizing and mythologizing faculty because the act of perception is an act of giving form to natural phenomena and seeing similitude in dissimilitude, which are basically metaphorical and mythological acts. In its form-giving activity the imagination of the speaking subjects of the poems studied in this thesis sees objects of nature as spiritual, animate or divine beings and thus transforms them into the alien territory of myth. This thesis analyzes myth and metaphor mainly in two regards: first, myth and metaphor are handled as inborn aspects of imagination and perception, and the interaction between nature and imagination are presented as the origin of all mythology<br>second, to show how myth is something that is re-created time and again by poetic imagination, Romantic mythography and re-creation of precursor mythologies are analyzed. In both regards, poetic imagination appears as a formative power that constructs, defamiliarizes and re-creates via mythologization and metaphorization.

This thesis is an exploration of three interrelated modes - the psychological, the religious or mythopoeic, and the metafictional - in the early novels of Russell Hoban. It investigates the relationship between Hoban's religious vision and his literary style, through the lens of his 'fictional philosophy' as it is presented in his essay collection The Moment under the Moment. In Chapter One, Kleinzeit is analysed to illustrate Hoban's portrayal of a contemporary crisis of meaning. It includes an introduction to the pattern of individuation and an exposition of Hoban's unique notion of heroism as embodied in Kleinzeit's journey of self-discovery. Hoban's mythopoeic impulse is elucidated with particular reference to his use of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. Finally, in an attempt to demonstrate Hoban's ideas on the relationship between language and reality, various metafictional techniques are examined, especially in relation to the theme of transcendence. In Chapter Two, the individuation theme in The Medusa Frequenry is considered as a work of mourning, portraying Herman Orfrs movement towards reconciliation and creative renewal. Following Paul Ricoeur, the Orpheus and Eurydice myth is seen as a myth of fault, embodying a primal transgression, and a source of the creative arts. The metafictional style is examined, especially the narrative mode, in order to show how Hoban dissolves the everyday world of reality into a fantastic realm of myth. Chapter Three focuses on the individuation pattern as initiation in Riddley Walker, charting the hero's growth into adulthood. Various myths in the text are analysed to show how they portray human development and the nuclear catastrophe as a mythic Fall. The chapter argues that through Riddley's quest Hoban evokes a redemptive and regenerative fertility myth. The unique literary style of the novel, including the characteristics of 'Riddleyspeak' and the complexity of the process of interpretation is studied. In Chapter Four, which deals with Pilgermann, the final phase of individuation - preparation for death - is discussed. Hoban's religious vision is dissected in relation to his mystical impulse as exemplified in the construction of the Hidden Lion pattern. Hoban's notion of God is investigated in relation to the philosophical problem of evil and suffering. Finally, Pilger mann is shown to be Hoban's mOSt experimental literary novel as it activates his recurring meta fictional techniques, investigations into narrative, and the relationship between language and the sacred. This thesis concludes that Hoban's fiction is best understood holistically with both his religious and literary concerns inextricably entwined. Throughout his novels Hoban explores the human condition in modernity affirming the paradoxical, dialectical and mysterious nature of being.<br>KMBT_363<br>Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

The article is about the mythopoeic idea of unity and interrelation of the human being and the Cosmic life, and its interpretation given in the texts of W. Shakespeare’s works. The human being, as represented in W. Shakespeare’s works, can be considered on three levels: personal, social and cosmic. As a person, a Shakespearean character is defined not only by his / her mind only, but also by the body. In the plays we see individuals of different gender, age, health and appearance. All these characteristics are relevant to the behavior of the individual and the response they get. Shakespeare skillfully shows different affects, and some states that can be explained with the help of the modern notion of hormones. All this was quite revolutionary for his epoch. Thus a human being is described as a creature with the complex psycho physiological constitution. One of the most important words in this context is "heart" that unites both physical and spiritual spheres. It brings to memory Ukrainian tradition of Cordocentrism, especially in P. Yurkevich’s interpretation. The metaphor of "body" is sometimes used in the pays to describe a social unity. Shakespeare was not a revolutionary, or even a political radical. Sometimes he shows the common people as politically deluded and easily lead. But mostly the commoners are portrayed as persons possessing the common scene and the moral standards, that guarantee the return to norm after social and political upheavals. It is important to note, that Shakespeare shows the kings as persons with weaknesses and problems, who must work hard to keep themselves and their country in order. In many plays he makes his monarchs declare the principal equality of human beings, with all the social differences appearing as secondary and transitory characteristics. Moreover, the same can be said about all the differences, underneath which all the humans are basically the same creatures with the same wants. All of them can suffer and thus are worthy of sympathy. There are some hints that animals can also be seen in the same context. This thought foreshadows the contemporary notion of animal rights an human responsibility for the planet. On the Cosmic level, the human beings are shown as the integral parts of the greater whole. In many plays there are statements reflecting the medieval model of the Universe, which goes back to the mythopoeia. The basic concept is the interrelation between the state of a person, of social group and of the world. Both the nation and its ruler were hold responsible for the cosmic state of affairs. The violation of the "Truth of the King" may have lead to turning the country into the Wasteland. This important mythologeme underlies all the plot of "King Lear". Taking this into consideration helps us to understand many obscure points. One of them is the behavior of the protagonist, that was traditionally explained only as the complete unreason of a madman who in the times of crisis asks irrelevant questions. In truth, Lear asks about the cause of the apocalyptical storm, which, on his opinion, was the direct result of some great sin. It is very close to the Greek belief, reflected in Sophocles’ "Oedipus", where the plague was sent by gods to punish the ruler’s crime. This belief also explains why in all Shakespearean plays – again, most noticeably in "King Lear" – there is an obligatory explanation in the finale. All the characters must tell their story and their confessions should be taken as forming the part of one general story. Shakespeare shows that the truth must be known and upheld, whatever the cost. Only thus the normal personal, social and cosmic life can continue. It doesn’t mean that all the plays are what was in the Soviet tradition called the "optimistical tragedies". Sometimes the losses are too great and the future is dubious. But it is the revealing of the human and cosmic truth that makes any future possible. In "King Lear" we also see the non-Aristotelian formula of catharsis, that sums up all the meaning of the suffering and losses: a person must learn compassion to restore or compensate what was destroyed in the blind egotistical strife. All these deeper senses of the plays, revealed by means of applying the principles of culturological hermeneutics, reflect the vestiges of the ancient belief in the human responsibility for the general state of the world. Such ideas, discarded by the Modern European Rationalism, are re-actualized in our times of the global ecological crisis, that demands a new level of awareness and new struggle with the human selfishness on all the levels: personal, social and universal. Taking into consideration these hidden meaning allows us deeper understanding of the Shakespearean tragedy. It can have both theoretical and practical importance, the latter being connected with the outlook-forming role of art. In the post-soviet theatres there is a tendency to turn the tragedies into the absurdist plays. It is an easy way for a director. But now it is more important to show that something can be, and must be done.

Thesis (M.A.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1999.<br>Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2823. Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as, preliminary leaves [2-3]. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-112).

This performance ethnography analyzes the means by which performers at Tampa, Florida‘s Bay Area Renaissance Festival constitute community and gender through performance. Renaissance Festivals are themed weekend events that ostensibly seek to allow visitors to experience life in an English Renaissance village. Beginning with the theoretical assumption that performance is constitutive of culture, community, and identity, and undergirded by David Boje‘s festivalism, Richard Schechner‘s restored behavior, Victor Turner‘s liminoid communitas and Judith Butler‘s performative agency, The Festival is explored as a celebratory community that engages in social change through personal transformation. Employing reflexive ethnography and narrative as inquiry, Chapter Two catalogues and analyzes a broad range of festival performances, from stage acts and handcraft production, to participatory improvisation, dance, and song. Playful and liminoid, these performances invite participants to make performance commitments and mutually to produce community through participative performance, celebratory objects, and the surrender of personal space. Chapter Three argues that performances of alternative masculinities at festival play out against the backdrop of R.W. Connell‘s heteronormative masculinities. These alternative performances break down social barriers, promote self-definition, and provide agency in the embodiment gendered experiences. Likewise, Chapter Four features Festival‘s feminine performances that reveal the community to be a ―wench‘s world‖ privileging Judith Butler‘s notion of performative agency in order to enable communities of difference. The Wench, the Queen, and the Pirate She- ing all embody feminine power and serve as archetypes of feminine narratives that privilege self-definition. This study demonstrates Festival to be a women-centered community that engages in a mythopoeia of feminist history. Acknowledging Festival as a multi-vocal community of mythopoets, this ethnography significantly extends the work of previous research on Renaissance Festivals. Rather than focusing on Festival performances as attempts at historical ―authenticity,‖ this study reveals Festival‘s mythological stance and the means by which performers embody mythology and archetype to their own purposes. Moving away from an audience centered discussion of performance, this study demonstrates how individual performers, through personal transformation, become agents of change through performance.

J.R.R. Tolkien was not only an author of fantasy but also a philologist who theorized about myth. Theorists have employed various methods of analyzing myth, and this thesis integrates several analyses, including Tolkien’s. I address the roles of doctrine, ritual, cross-cultural patterns, mythic expressions in literature, the literary effect of myth, evolution of language and consciousness, and individual invention over inheritance and diffusion. Beyond Tolkien’s English and Catholic background, I argue for eclectic influence on Tolkien, including resonance with Buddhism. Tolkien views mythopoeia, literary mythmaking, in terms of sub-creation, human invention in the image of God as creator. Key mythopoetic tools include eucatastrophe, the happy ending’s sudden turn to poignant joy, and enchantment, the realization of imagined wonder, which is epitomized by the character of Tom Bombadil and contrasted with modernist techno-magic seeking to alter and dominate the world. I conclude by interpreting Tolkien’s mythmaking as a form of mysticism.