Myth into culture II
G J Fitzgerald
8 points * 2.5 hours per week * Second semester * Clayton
The subject investigates several clusters of Greek myths as they appear in the poetry, drama, art and architecture of classical Greek and later cultures, exploring the myths themselves, their evolution over time and locality and some transformations by which the images of certain historical figures (Pericles of Athens and Alexander the Great, for example) became shaped by much older myths. The clusters surveyed include myths about origins, about the home, women and family, about the hero, about the journey and return, etc. Broader questions of how myth fitted into and affected society will be considered. For example, in an age in which Greeks were investigating and inventing the art of speculative reason, what role did myth play? What reconciliations did the Greeks effect between myth and reason, approaches to reality which we tend to regard as mutually exclusive? This latter question is of considerable relevance to the `postmodernist' disputes on the nature of, and differences between, so-called rational and irrational modes of thought. The subject also sets out to provide an introduction to a range of modern interpretations of myth and its function in society.
Assessment
Examinations (2 hours): 30% * Written (4000 words): 70%
Prescribed texts
Course book Department of Greek, Roman and Egyptian Studies
Recommended texts
As for CCV1050