Post by Lomadia on Jul 4, 2006 13:24:51 GMT -5
I've been flipping through Anne C. Petty's One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien's Mythology, which explains the mythological structure and relates it to Tolkien's works. I found the book absolutely fascinating, so here are some notes I took on it, for anyone interested. If anything I write doesn't make sense (they are just quick notes), let me know and I'll try to explain better. Feel free to respond to them, too.
-p. xiii: "At its most elemental level, myth embodies basic human ideals and expresses our deep, commonly felt emotions," which is why Tolkien's work is capable of reaching such a large audience
-The key to LotR's popularity: the ability to fuse this wide-reaching element of myth (which lends realism and authenticity to the rather fantastic plot) with simply good writing
-Look for subtle shifts in syntax and diction depending on station, species, and intimacy of people speaking
->Aragorn has different speech patterns for talking with, eg, hobbits, royalty, Elves, etc.
->Pippin uses familiar (rather than formal) address when speaking to Denethor -> "Ernil i periannath")
-Some elements of myth
->binary opposition
->a "desperate quest"- good v. evil; salvation v. destruction
->magical object
->reluctant or ordinary hero- represents the reader in that he has "untapped extraordinary abilities"; his identity as a hero develops via the quest
->hero's loyal friend
->warrior king whose identity is hidden
->magical helpers
->goddess figure
->departure, initiation, return
-Myth (as distinct from fantasy) is "the pattern of basic values and attitudes of a people as transmitted through their art and ritual"
->So, myth is an engine for transmitting culture; fantasy does not intend to pass on and preserve culture; allegory is a retelling of an archetypal story with one's own culture projected onto it
-4 functions of myth (pp. 2-3):
->1. "The Mystical Prospect"- awakens awe and humility "in recognition of [the] ultimate mystery"
->2. "The Cosmological Prospect"- incorporates the entire cosmos into its scope
->3. "The Social Prospect"- confirms and validates the culture's established social and moral order
->4. "The Psychological Prospect"- shows the growth of the individual in relation to:
-->The Microcosm (himself)
-->The Mesocosm (his culture/society)
-->The Macrocosm (the universe)
-->The "ultimate mstery that is both beyond and within himself and all things"
-The completion of the quest fulfills our innate desire for unity (p.10)
-Two possible impulses for the quest:
-> Lack (eg- The Hobbit: win back stolen treasure)
->Villainy (eg- LotR: defeat Sauron)
-->Villainy often defeats itself; good's advantage over evil is that good can imagine what it would be like to be evil, but evil cannot imagine being good.
-Types of helpers:
->Universal: helps the hero in many ways and instances; often person (Gandalf, Aragorn)
->Partial: helps the hero in limited instances and ways; often animal (eagles, ents)
->Specific: helps the hero in only one or two ways; often object (lembas, mithril)
-Repetition (eg- losing Ring finger, birthday parties, encounter with a spider)
-The final transfiguration of the hero comes from "his total knowledge of good and evil, pleasure and pain, active and passive... the hero emerges as a new, enlightened being in whom opposites are reconciled... this is the bodhisattva way." (p. 61)
-p. xiii: "At its most elemental level, myth embodies basic human ideals and expresses our deep, commonly felt emotions," which is why Tolkien's work is capable of reaching such a large audience
-The key to LotR's popularity: the ability to fuse this wide-reaching element of myth (which lends realism and authenticity to the rather fantastic plot) with simply good writing
-Look for subtle shifts in syntax and diction depending on station, species, and intimacy of people speaking
->Aragorn has different speech patterns for talking with, eg, hobbits, royalty, Elves, etc.
->Pippin uses familiar (rather than formal) address when speaking to Denethor -> "Ernil i periannath")
-Some elements of myth
->binary opposition
->a "desperate quest"- good v. evil; salvation v. destruction
->magical object
->reluctant or ordinary hero- represents the reader in that he has "untapped extraordinary abilities"; his identity as a hero develops via the quest
->hero's loyal friend
->warrior king whose identity is hidden
->magical helpers
->goddess figure
->departure, initiation, return
-Myth (as distinct from fantasy) is "the pattern of basic values and attitudes of a people as transmitted through their art and ritual"
->So, myth is an engine for transmitting culture; fantasy does not intend to pass on and preserve culture; allegory is a retelling of an archetypal story with one's own culture projected onto it
-4 functions of myth (pp. 2-3):
->1. "The Mystical Prospect"- awakens awe and humility "in recognition of [the] ultimate mystery"
->2. "The Cosmological Prospect"- incorporates the entire cosmos into its scope
->3. "The Social Prospect"- confirms and validates the culture's established social and moral order
->4. "The Psychological Prospect"- shows the growth of the individual in relation to:
-->The Microcosm (himself)
-->The Mesocosm (his culture/society)
-->The Macrocosm (the universe)
-->The "ultimate mstery that is both beyond and within himself and all things"
-The completion of the quest fulfills our innate desire for unity (p.10)
-Two possible impulses for the quest:
-> Lack (eg- The Hobbit: win back stolen treasure)
->Villainy (eg- LotR: defeat Sauron)
-->Villainy often defeats itself; good's advantage over evil is that good can imagine what it would be like to be evil, but evil cannot imagine being good.
-Types of helpers:
->Universal: helps the hero in many ways and instances; often person (Gandalf, Aragorn)
->Partial: helps the hero in limited instances and ways; often animal (eagles, ents)
->Specific: helps the hero in only one or two ways; often object (lembas, mithril)
-Repetition (eg- losing Ring finger, birthday parties, encounter with a spider)
-The final transfiguration of the hero comes from "his total knowledge of good and evil, pleasure and pain, active and passive... the hero emerges as a new, enlightened being in whom opposites are reconciled... this is the bodhisattva way." (p. 61)