Please answer the questions in the comments section below. Do not create a new post!
1. What genres do the following texts belong to?
Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).
2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to cite from the original texts).
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).
6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ?
8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer).
Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).
2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to cite from the original texts).
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).
6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ?
8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer).
What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
ReplyDeleteOld myths have a largely important place in the modern world as many elements of modern entertainment were born from the ideas and stories of old myth. (Arguably, almost all modern-day entertainment (books, movies, televisions, videogames, etc.) have some stylistic choices drawn from old myth and legend and even sometimes have blatant links to them (Reza, Shiva, & Eisa, 2016).
Myth introduced the idea of protagonists and antagonists, story arcs, a core problem and many other basic storytelling constructs. While it is true that myth and legend were the bedrock of which our modern understanding of storytelling developed, old myths contribute much more to the modern world that just that. All cultures have some version of myth or legend that tells the tales of the nations past (Gordon, 2013).
These myths get passed from generation to generation becoming ingrained in the culture; stories that have become cultural touchstones for those to look upon to recognise where they’ve come from and their place in the world (Gordon, 2013).
Myth were primarily a device used to explain creation, linked to the human nature of questioning everything and ultimately searching for answers to those questions. In the old world, many of these questions couldn’t be answered as application of scientific practice did not exist, so myth filled in the blanks. This caused myth to become a creative entangling of understood things of importance to the culture, tied in with the misunderstood or unknown (Goodman, 2014).
Creationist myths are still a widely important element in most cultures today and even though most (through the ways of science and logic) have become overtly farcical, all still hold valuable cultural importance about the people who came before (Goodman, 2014).
The oratory nature of olden myth and legend found these stories passed down from generation to generation, building a sense of continuity but also growing the stories with each successive generation to hear them. Myths gave an ability for people to track their linage long before anything could be written down and even after that (Ong, 1982). Old myths allowed people to develop cultural understandings and a pride for who they are, which to this day is still being demonstrated throughout the world (Gordon, 2013).
Taking New Zealand for example, many if not all of us in this generation, learnt of the Maui and his endeavours; slowing down the sun and fishing up the north island among others. These stories, whilst only myth immediately tell a tale of the people and culture from which these stories came. A hard-working culture linked to the sea and sky. In this way, myths gave purpose and pride to each successive generation as early as infancy (Gordon, 2013).
Old myth has many places in our modern society but arguably the most obvious is that we still enjoy the tales they tell. Myth and legend has grown constantly from the first time they were told, changing slightly from generation to generation and our modern world is no different. Thor is showing up in movies, as is Maui and many other mythological deities of varied cultural importance. Not only does old myth have a place in modern society, in many ways it is the bedrock that shapes it.
What are some possible features of residual (or secondary) orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong advances?
ReplyDeletePrimary orality refers to a culture without knowledge of any sense of written or printed language (Ong, 1982) and Voluspa is filled with preserved elements of this. The story of Voluspa, like many other similar myths would have been passed down by oratures from generation to generation, and even with its translation into a text the true oratory nature of the story still shines through.
When first reading Voluspa it immediately has a feel more like a script that a piece of prose, needing to be spoken aloud to grasp the full weight of its message; even the first line of writing is urging that it be spoken, “Here my words you holy gods”.
Residual orality can also be sensed from Voluspa feeling of needing to be performed, without the element of any visual reading, such as gesture, the piece almost feels lacking. Body language is of paramount importance in any oratory realm and this would have been especially so for a story of such cultural important as Voluspa.
As far as secondary orality, that can be sensed from when this myth would have been first translated from oratory to print, with introduction of the written letter, elements would have been lost and added to the story.
I think that we will never know the myth of Voluspa as it would have been first told by a charismatic cultural orator but regardless traces of the nature of society untouched by written language can still be felt in the work.
References
Goodman, J. (2014). Creatures of fiction, objects of myth. Analysis, 35-40.
Gordon, A. (2013). Mythology and Culture Worldwide. Library Media Connection., 68-68.
Ong, W. J. (1982). Orality and Literacy: the technologizing of the word. London : Methuen.
Reza, E., Shiva, S. K., & Eisa, C. (2016). Representation of myth in the modern world (Based on the ideas of the Frankfurt School, Roland Barthes and Jean Baudrillard). International Journal of Advanced Biotechnology and Research, 359-364.
(REFERENCES RELATE TO BOTH QUESTIONS AS WEBSITE WOULD NOT LET ME UPLOAD AS ONE FILE)
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ReplyDelete6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
ReplyDeleteMyths and stories are effected by the tellers surrounding influences, therefore, stories will continue to grow upon the last and the evolution will continue making all previous work a bias to the storyteller. Old myths have been essential and the backbone of all modern fantasy storytelling. Take for example Harry Potter. This serious have been highly influential to the younger generation and while vastly different from Tolkien’s work, one can’t deny the influences Tolkien had on J.K. Rowling therefore Tolkien’s work has been translated into modern storytelling. As the generation that grew up on Harry Potter creates its own stories, they will obviously be influences by Rowling and therefore, inadvertently by Tolkien thus preserving his work. However, with modern story telling many of the myths are simply used as tools for modern authors. For example, when Tolkien wrote about Shelob, the giant spider in The Two Towers, the spider was simply used as rising action and to aid in the character development of Sam and Frodo. However, when Peter Jackson retold the story on film, he took the tool of the giant spider and thickened the plot. He used Smeagol, Sam, Frodo, and Shelob all interconnected creating conflict between Sam and Frodo when there was none in Tolkien’s version. Jackson took the tools that Tolkien made and used them in a way that in my opinion, made for a much more compelling subplot and overall story. Jackson created more empathy for both Sam, Frodo and Smeagol. Moreover, in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the same tools are used to create a fantastic story. The foundation of Martin’s fictional world based around world building, something Tolkien paved the way for. Martin also fills his world with many of the same mythical plot devices that Tolkien created. After all, Tolkien’s fictional world is so extensive, it’s nearly impossible to tell a fantasy story without at least borrowing from his work. Dragons, living trees, giants, wolves, etc etc, are all things that can be found in Martin’s world, if not altered in some way. These are all tools Tolkien either created or borrowed himself from other myths.
Old myths also set up the classical plot line with rising action, climax, and resolution. Today, this plot line is still used and taught as a template to create our own modern myths. Furthermore, with the explosion of comic book movies, old myths are being manipulated and retold in a way that fits modern mass audience. Old myths are still entertaining us today. They have shaped the way we tell and interpret stories. They have having us tools, tools that have become modern day staples in fantasy and tools that we still use to this day to create and mold a story.
Follow up/further thoughts
DeleteIn Beowulf, the plot follows one monster after the other with each monster being being more of a challenge for the hero. In Tolkien's Hobbit, he very much used the same formula to create the plot. The the Hobbit, the hero encounters one monster after the other until finally, the climax, which just like Beowulf, is a dragon. Beowulf very much created a set of tools and that Tolkien basically copied over into this own work.
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ReplyDeleteWhat genres do the following texts belong too?
ReplyDeleteVoluspa is a mythological poem that is constructed in Old Norse. A myth is a traditional story that explains the creation of something or an event, typically having a hero as the main character. Often myths explain something to do with the world/nature. Voluspa can be categorized as a mythological poem as it explains the way the world comes to be. “Then the holy gods met to give judgement, the holy gods took counsel together: they named night and night’s children, gave names to morning and night afternoon and evening, ordered time by years.” (L22-26)
Beowulf is an epic poem, originally written in Old English, however there are many translations today. The poem uses Anglo-Saxons literature, with alternative verses. Beowulf tells the story over many years of different tribes, supernatural animals, and the relationship that humans share with God. However most importantly, Beowulf is a story of heroism.
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are most importantly Fantasy stories, given that the characters are most commonly some sort of magical creature (goblins, wizards, witches…). For a text to be categorized as a part of the fantasy genre, it will have some sort of mythical aspects of it, including but not limited to; mythical creatures, any kind of magic, far away ‘magical’ lands, talking animals… Often fantasy texts are a far-fetched reality, completely different from how people typically understand the world. Myths are often a significant part of the fantasy genre as it offers a platform for these old myths and legends to be told.
What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
Mythology derives from the Greek words, ‘mythos’ meaning story of the people, and ‘logos’ meaning the spoken word’ (http://www.ancient.eu/mythology/).
Myths have been told since the beginning of language itself, passing down stories from generation to generation. Myths tell the stories of how the world came to be, why humans are the way we are, where we all came from and offers reasons for many traditions and customs. Most cultures have their own series of myths and legends, that tell their own version of the way in which the world was created. Originally, myths were told to help bring a community or group of people together and help them to share a common understanding, of the world around them. Myths would also offer a moral lesson, like most stories to help people understand the difference between right and wrong and good and evil.
Myths are incredibly important in the modern world today as myths offer answers to humans most asked questions about human existence. Today, myths are told to help people in the modern world to understand the older generations, to understand what they believed in and what they thought the world to be. Mythology offers insight into past lives.
References:
http://www.findmeanauthor.com/fantasy_fiction_genre.htm
http://www.shmoop.com/hobbit/genre.html
http://www.shmoop.com/beowulf/genre.html
http://www.lindakreft.com/creationmyth.html
http://www.ancient.eu/mythology/
http://myths.e2bn.org/teachers/info310-why-were-the-stories-told.html
A good framework here. Dicusssion of genre works well for you, but the comments on place of myths in modern world are too generalized. You are right, but we need examples from the Norse myths to prove your point.
Delete7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematize" the hero-myth of Beowulf?
ReplyDeleteWhen a film is written there is generally a simple ‘guideline’ that is followed, each genre is different. When these guidelines are followed too closely, there is room for things to change and there is room for the story to be twisted (Miller, 2006). This occurs in many cases where an urban myth or classic story will be revisited years after the original release and the story could be told from a whole different perspective or even twisted so that the audience has a completely different view of each character (Miller, 2006), this is where the “problematizing” comes into play.
In the original “Beowulf” myth, there is the good and then there is bad, there is no in between or swapping sides. The monster or ‘bad’ person is always portrayed so that the audience does not feel sorry for them. However, in more modern times as literature is getting more creative, the audience are being exposed to elements that make them feel sorry for the bad person or monster. They are given traits that alienate them from society and make them an outsider, hence why they are feared. The opposite happens for the hero they are given good traits so they look like a hero and they are widely liked. However, in a more modern day society we are starting to have sympathy for the monster as truth about them is uncovered, with this sympathy for the bad person or villain it means that we begin to see the hero as the bad person instead, so the roles are reversed.
This is just as confusing to understand as it is to explain. Beowulf is still the hero or the good, and Grendel is evil and bad, but can Beowulf be considered the hero forever? This is where it gets problematic, Grendel kills for fun, Beowulf kills for fame and honour, but they are both still killing other people. If a monster is to be described as someone who is nasty and kills people, then shouldn’t Beowulf also be considered a Villain. This causes conflict for the reader because they become unsure who to side with. This technique is very effective if it is used right, sometimes stories are problematized too much and become not understandable, therefore not giving the audience the desire they are wanting.
References.
Miller, N. (2006). Beowulf and Grendel. Retrieved 17th March, 2017, from https://filmschoolrejects.com/beowulf-grendel-1a86f81804c6#.f6qeyw2th