Before and After

What is a myth?

Before taking this class, I would have define myths as stories that help a culture to answer its great philosophical questions.  I would now modify this definition to "stories that define a culture and help it to answer its great philosophical questions."

What do myths do?

Before taking this class, I would have said that myths exist to answer spiritual, philosophical, and ethical questions, as well as explaining our world and cultures, and how they came to be.  To this definition, I would now add that myths help us define or explain ourselves and our culture, and that they record cultural history.

When do we need myth?

Before taking this class, I would have said we need myth when we have questions that science does not provide an adequate or satisfying answer to.  After having taken the class, I also think we need myth to help us understand who we are and how to deal with our culture.

Where do myths come from?

Before taking the class, I would have guessed that myths originate when the same people tell the same story over and over again.  In addition, I would now say that the creation of the myth is not complete until people internalize it as part of their identity.

How do myths survive?

Before taking the class, I would have said that myths survive in the way they are created, by being retold, and also by being taught and referred to in modern works.  Now, I would say that myths also survive by being retold in more modern ways with more modern characters -- this is more than just the "reference" I would have called it before taking the class.  Myths can also survive by having their character types carry over into more modern stories, as we can see by the sheer volume of Christ figures in English literature.

How do we know what we know about myth?

Before taking the class, I would have said that our knowledge of myth comes from study by doctors of literature & language, religion, history and anthropology.  To this list must be added archaeologists, psychologists, and philosophers.  Where mythology is concerned, many of these fields have some overlap.

Why do we study myth?

Before taking the class, I would say we study myth to understand where we came from (that is, the social, cultural, and literary history of humanity) and because it's interesting.  Now I think we also study myth to help understand ourselves, and where we're going.