Strong Man Myths; Jungian Archetypes; Workshop; Joseph Campbell

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Carl Jung & The Collective Unconscious/Literary Archetypes (finally). Let's read about Jung in class. Then, remember Herakles? Here are some other Hercules' as the strong/hero archetype:

Here are some other important strong men in mythology:
In his book Pathways to Bliss, Joseph Campbell defines four functions of myths:
  • Evoke existential thought (answer: what is the meaning of my life?)
  • Present an image of the cosmos (and your relation to it)
  • Validate society or culture (& its rules)
  • Make sense of a person's stages of life (birth, adolescence, adulthood, old age, death)
Joseph Campbell's hero's journey
Writing challenge: Use Campbell's theories and Jungian archetypes in a story of your own. You can combine this with intertextuality, mythology, stream of consciousness, or any other idea we have covered so far in this course. If you create anything (a draft or more) put it in your writing portfolio!

Northrup Frye's Four Mythos:
  • Spring: Comedy: 1. Existent society remains, 2. Criticism of society without change, 3. Existent society replaced by a happy society, 4. Happy society resists change, 5. Reflective and idyllic view, 6. Society ceases to exist beyond contemplation
  • Summer: Romance: 1. Complete innocence, 2. youthful innocence of inexperience, 3. Completion of an ideal, 4. Happy society resists change, 5. Reflective and idyllic view, 6. Society ceases to exist beyond contemplation
  • Autumn: Tragedy: 1. Complete innocence, 2. youthful innocence of inexperience, 3. Completion of an ideal, 4. Individual’s faults, 5. Natural law, 6.World of shock and horror
  • Winter: Irony & Satire: 1. Existent society remains, 2. Criticism of society without change, 3. Existent society replaced by a happy society, 4. Individual’s faults, 5. Natural law, 6. World of shock and horror
HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 1 of The Epic of Gilgamesh. Bring your packets back with you to next class. Portfolios are due, again, by next Thursday, Nov. 1.

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