A Course on Myth and Movies

 

Posted by John Lobell

 

As the liberal arts in universities comes to be dominated by critical and visual studies, the ability of mainstream academia to respond to movies, particularly visionary movie, is diminished.

 

Critical and visual studies, while providing insights into some cultural issues, fails to penetrate deeply into the individual narrative psyche or the cultural narrative psyche.  Indeed, there is no recognition of the existence of psyche in the field.  In response to this, I propose a course on mythology and movies, which I am posting here. 

 

While this posting is in the form of a college course outline, it is meant as a primer on how to think about myths and movies.  Comments, criticisms, additions, and deletions are welcome.

 

POSITION OF THE COURSE

Myths are a repository of the structures and mores of a culture, a suprapsychology, a system of principles describing the nature and workings of being, the universe, society, and individual development.  Embedded in myths, fairy tales, theologies, art, and science are the accumulated wisdoms of cultures and individuals.

Movies have become a dominant artistic form in our culture, and is therefore a major vehicle for the presentation of myth.  This course explores movies in these terms.

 

REQUIRED BOOKS

– Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell

– Mythologies, by Roland Barthes

– Story, Robert McKee

– The Writer’s Journey, Christopher Vogler

– Screenplay, Syd Field

– Celluloid Heroes & Mechanical Dragons, John David Ebert

– Reader prepared by the instructor

 

CURRICULUM

 

WEEK 1

Course Introduction

 

WEEK 2

Defining Mythology

The Role of Mythology in Culture

The nature of archetypes

Functions of Myth

– Provide a sense of Wonder

– Tell stories

– Model the universe and the human place in it

– Inculcate the mores of the culture

– Guide the individual’s development

– Bring new worldviews into consciousness

 Founding and Identity Myths: How they structure culture

– Job

– Arjuna

– Buddha

– Prometheus

– Percival

 

WEEK 3

Culture, Mythology, and Story in Movies

Definitions of culture

How a culture perpetuates itself

Movies as a dominant popular medium

Different types of movies, and the role of each

Defining qualities and examples of mythic and archetypal movies

Movies, the novel, the graphic novel, and computer games

 

WEEK 4

The Hero Journey in Myth and Film

The hero journey as presented in Campbell’s Hero With A Thousand Faces

Readings from or references to:

– Hero With A Thousand Faces, Campbell

* Star Wars (The entire series, but particularly 4, 5, & 6)

 

WEEK 5

The Hero Journey in Myth and Movies (continued)

Readings from or references to:

– Hero With A Thousand Faces, Campbell

– Heart of Darkness, Conrad

– The Golden Bough, Fraser

– From Ritual to Romance, Weston

– The Wasteland, Eliot

– The Odyssey, Homer

 * Apocalypse Now

 

WEEK 6

Myth, Movies, and the Dominant Culture

Readings from or references to:

– The Arthurian Romances, particularly Perceval, as representative of Western consciousness

 * The Natural

* In the Line of Fire

 

WEEK 7

Myth, Movies, and Alternatives to the Dominant Culture

Buddhism as an alternative to the dominant culture

Readings from or references to:

The story of the Buddha

Why we are seeing movies with non-linear time: 

 * Ground Hog Day

* Fifty First Dates

* Memento

* The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

* The Lake House

* Jumper

* Etc.

 

WEEK 8

The Coming-of-Age Movies

How the coming-of-age movie conveys the notion of self in the dominant culture

Readings from or references to:

– New York Times article on Disney’s Tarzan

 Archetype and Stereotype in Disney movies

* Little Mermaid

* Beauty and the Beast

* Molan

 

WEEK 9

The Coming-of-Age Movies and Archetypes

Readings from or references to:

– “The Phantom of the Opera: Or, How To Review an Archetypal Movie: A Primer,” John Lobell

 * Phantom of the Opera

 

WEEK 10

The Other

Readings from or references to:

– The role of the Moor in the Arthurian Romances

– The other in post structuralist theory

 * Tarzan (Disney)

* ET

* Blade Runner

* Resident Evil (zombie movies)

 

WEEK 11

The Challenge of Technology

Readings from or references to:

– The Golem

– Cadmus sowing the dragon teeth

– Da Vinci’s robot dream

* Metropolis

* Terminator 2

* Star Wars 6

* AI

 

WEEK 12

The Future of Humanity

Readings from or references to:

– Myths of successive creations or stages in Greek, Dogon, and Navajo mythologies. 

* Alien: Resurrection

* AI

* 2001

 

WEEK 13

Challenges to Mythology

Conservative and progressive roles of mythology 

Archetype and stereotype

Readings from or references to:

Roland Barthes, Mythologies

 Panel discussion with members of the Critical and Visual Studies faculty

 

 

MOVIES ADDRESSED

 

• 2001
• AI
• Alien: Resurrection
• Apocalypse Now
• Beauty and the Beast
• Blade Runner
• ET
• Fifty First Dates
• Ground Hog Day
• In the Line of Fire
• Little Mermaid
• Memento
• Metropolis
• Molan
• Phantom of the Opera
• Resident Evil
• Star Wars (the series)
• Terminator 2
• The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• The Lake House
• The Natural