La Notion Du Mythe – The Concept of Myth

Course on La Notion Du Mythe or the Concept of Myth.

Objective: To know the functions and characteristics of myth. Know differentiate myth and mythology.

Literature has always been the conservatory and the reservoir of myths and it is mainly through her that we, Westerners, know these extraordinary stories.

The literature up ventures itself create its own myths, especially myths of political heroism.

Thus, famous historical figures such as Napoleon, Louis XIV and Caesar became legendary heroes, competing with the Greek heroes. The past is able to exert a fascination on us equal to that of primitive myths.

Often, the myth illustrates a theme that defines one or more people acting in a particular situation. Thus, the story of Cain and Abel tale that the opposition between two brothers became a literary legend in his own right as a scenario based on ancestral archetypes and mythic elements as the Devil’s mark.

Michel Panoff, somewhat annoyed, says a number of Esprit that the word “myth” is constantly used today, its meaning is so diverse and fluctuating. The myth has become a word generating its own mythology and whose meaning has only deviate.

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