The Concept of Myth in Literature The word ‘myth’ is derived from the Greek word ‘mythos’, which means a traditional tale common to the member of a tribe, race or nation. It usually involves the supernatural elements to explain some natural phenomenon in boldly imaginative terms. Today myth has become one of the most prominent terms in contemporary literature analysis. It was Northrop Frye, one of the most influential myth critics (others including Robert Graves, Francis Fersusson, Richard Chase, Philip Wheelwright), who discovered certain formulas in the word order. He identified these formulas as the “conventional myths and metaphors” which he calls archetypes. C.G. Jung was of the view the materials of the myth lie in the collective unconscious of the race.Writers have always been attracted towards the elements of remoteness, mystery and the heroism of myth. But the application of the term ‘myth’ is very wide as there is a large variety of applications in contemporary criticism. We also need to understand the difference between myth, legend and folktale. M.H. Abrams has clearly defined all of these. “If the protagonist is a man rather thatn a supernatural being, the story is usually not called myth but legend; if the story concerns supernatural beings, but is not part of a systematic mythology, it is usually classified as a folktale.” As mentioned earlier a myth is characterized by the supernatural elements.D.H. Lawrence made use of the myth in his ‘The Plumed Serpeant’, Melville in ‘Moby Dick’. William Blake created a mythology of his own. He was inspired by John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘Paradise Regained’, to name only a few of the sources.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 20:52:50 +0000
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