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Mythopoeia

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It has been suggested that artificial mythology be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since June 2007.

Mythopoeia (Greek for myth-making) is a narrative genre in modern literature and film where a fictional mythology was created by the author or director. They may in part integrate traditional mythological themes and archetypes, but they are also fiction. Mythopoeia is also the act of making (creating) such mythologies. The word was coined by J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1930's. Notable mythopoeic authors are J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, H.P. Lovecraft, and George MacDonald, among others.

Tolkien's concept of mythopoeia

The term mythopoeia (virtually Greek μυθο-ποιία "myth-making") was coined by Tolkien as a title of one of his poems, published in the Tree and Leaf.. Mythopoeia (the poem) was written following a discussion on the night of 19 September 1931 at Magdalen College, Oxford with C. S. Lewis and Hugo Dyson. The discussion was recorded in the book The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter.

Mythopoeia, the poem, is addressed from "Philomythos" (myth-lover) to one "Misomythos" (myth-hater) and takes a position defending mythology and myth-making as a creative art about "fundamental things". The poem begins by addressing C.S. Lewis as the Misomythos, who at the time was sceptical of any truth in mythology:

"To one who said that myths were lies and therefore worthless, even though 'breathed through silver'".

Tolkien chose to compose the poem in heroic couplets, the preferred metre of British Enlightenment poets, as it were attacking the proponents of materialist progress on their own turf. The poem refers to the creative human author as "the little maker" wielding his "own small golden sceptre" ruling his subcreation (understood as genuine creation within God's primary creation).

I will not treat your dusty path and flat,
denoting this and that by this and that,
your world immutable wherein no part
the little maker has with maker's art.
I bow not yet before the Iron Crown,
nor cast my own small golden sceptre down...

The reference to not "bowing" before an "Iron Crown", and later references rejecting "the great Artefact" have been interpreted as Tolkien's opposition and resistance to accept what he perceived to be modern man's misplaced "faith" or "worship" of rationalism, science and technology.

man is not wholly lost nor wholly changed.
Dis-graced he may be, yet is not dethroned,
and keeps the rags of lordship once he owned,
his world-dominion by creative act:
not his to worship the great Artefact.

Tolkien's now famous mythopoeia includes the Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Tolkien's idea of mythopoeia was soon followed by key authors in the Inklings, an informal literary discussion group associated with the University of Oxford, England, between the 1930s and the 1960s.

C.S. Lewis and Narnia Series

At the time that Tolkien debated the usefulness of myth and mythopoeia with C.S. Lewis in 1931, Lewis was an atheist, and liked but was sceptical of mythology, taking the position that myths were "lies and therefore worthless, even though 'breathed through silver'". However Lewis later conceded, and began to speak of Christianity as the one "true myth". Lewis wrote, "The story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened." Subsequently, his Chronicles of Narnia is regarded as mythopoeia, with storylines based allegorically on Christian narrative, namely the narrative of a great king who is sacrificed to save his people and is resurrected after three days.

George Lucas and Star Wars Series

Filmmaker George Lucas speaks of the cinematic storyline of Star Wars as an example of modern myth-making. He claims: "With 'Star Wars' I consciously set about to re-create myths and the classic mythological motifs." The idea of Star Wars as "myth" has been met with mixed reviews by some reviewers and critics. John Lyden, the Professor and Chair of the Religion Department at Dana College, argues that Star Wars does indeed reproduce religious and mythical themes: specifically, he argues that the work is apocalyptic in concept and scope. The Decent Film Guide's Steven D. Greydanus agrees, calling Star Wars a "work of epic mythopoeia". In fact, Greydanus argues that Star Wars is the primary example of American mythopoeia:

"The Force, the Jedi knights, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan, Princess Leia, Yoda, lightsabers, and the Death Star hold a place in the collective imagination of countless Americans that can only be described as mythic. In my review of A New Hope I called Star Wars 'the quintessential American mythology,' an American take on King Arthur, Tolkien, and the samurai/wuxia epics of the East..."

However Lucas's claims about Star Wars's "mythical" aspects have also been criticized (i.e as "pseudo-mythic Joseph Campbell hogwash").

Organizations

The Mythopoeic Society exists to promote mythopoeic literature, partly by way of the Mythopoeic Awards.

See also

Footnotes

  1. Mythopoeia by J.R.R. Tolkien
  2. Adcox, 2003.
  3. Adcox, 2003; also Menion, 2003/2004.
  4. Menion, 2003/2004.
  5. Adcox, 2003.
  6. Adcox, 2003; also Menion, 2003/2004.
  7. George Lucas, quoted by Hart, 2002.
  8. Lyden, 2000.
  9. Greydanus 2000-2006
  10. Greydanus 2000-2006
  11. Hart 2002.

References

Tolkien:

Lucas:

Further reading

  • McConnell, Frank. Storytelling and Mythmaking. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979 ISBN 0-19-503210-1.


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