Paper #1: Myths of the Future, due Feb.5th

NOTE: Blog Response #1 video is in the post BELOW this one...

“Heroes were heroes because they captured the Zeitgeist and embodied the fantasies of the people. The heroes of classical mythology were figures from the past. But what made them heroes, their mythism, if you like, always came from their importance to the present” (Morales 55).

INTRO: Similar to your Blog Response #1 post, I want you to look for the ‘mythology’ in the modern world—and more specifically, in the dominant forms of literature that can still create myth. So where are the myths of today be created? What “lore” is being collected and what “fantasies” are being acted out by modern participants? How are old heroes transforming into new protagonists, and past fantasies becoming allegorically renewed? And what “ideology” might emerge from our streaming shows and podcasts?

PROMPT: For your First Paper, I want you to answer the question, what work of art do you think has a good chance to become a myth in the next hundred years? In other words, how can you see a relatively modern film, book, show, podcast, album, etc., becoming the basis for an extensive lore and an allegorical interpretation of its characters, stories, and symbols? Think about what works today have already inspired retellings and adaptations of their original material in memes, jokes, copycats, and parodies. What works have added words to our language or characters to our stock of leading men and women? Remember that these myths don’t have to be about the ‘future’ or the ‘past,’ but should be “important to the present,” and capture something of the “zeitgeist” of our age, even if, ultimately, this work owes a lot to its fictional forbearers. 

SOURCES: Use Morales’ Classical Mythology to help you discuss this topic. Use passages as a framework to analyze and discuss your work in question. And be specific: discuss a specific character, passage, scene, episode, or lyric to help us ‘see’ the mythological aspects in question. Remember that any story can become a myth if enough people care about it, so you can’t go wrong here; the trick is to convince us the process of “apotheosis” (page 54) is already in effect. Where do we see this work being repackaged and repurposed for the ages? And how aware do you think the author and/or creators are of making a modern myth? Is it by purpose—or totally by accident?

REQUIREMENTS:

• 3-4 pages, double spaced at least (you can do more!)
• Focuses on ONE work (not a series of works, or a type of works—don’t do science fiction or superheroes in general)
• Uses passages from Morales’ Classical Mythology as a primary source; you must QUOTE and apply these passages to your work (don’t just say: “Morales says a lot of cool things about myth that totally apply to Star Wars!”).
• Due Friday, February 5^th @ 5pm by e-mail or in the box on my door (HM 348)