1. Discuss Mircea Eliade’s claim that many of us still sometimes think ‘mythologically’, and the connection between this and some forms of popular culture (particularly Cinema).
Mircea Eliade was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer and philosopher. One of his most influential contributions to cultural studies was his work “Myth & Reality,” whereby he attempts to analyse the concept of myth in reference to religion and culture and provide an explanation for its persistence in contemporary human thought and some forms of popular culture.
Some centuries before the rise of Christianity, the word ‘myth’ had become common in the Greco-Roman world, meaning “fable, fiction, lie”. The rise of mythical thought has also been witnessed in the Middle Ages, reflected in the stories of Arthurian cycle and the Grail. Some forms of “mythical behaviour” still survive in our day. Certain aspects and functions of mythical thought are elements of the human being. The prestige of origin, particularly important in archaic communities, has survived in the societies of Europe. What is more, recent studies have shown mythical structures of the images and behaviour imposed on communities by mass media. The myth of Superman satisfies the secret desire of modern man who, although he knows that he is a fallen, limited creature, dreams of one day proving himself an “exceptional person,” a “Hero”.
Considering cinema, the presence of myth has also been remarkable. The emphasis of Sigmund Freud on Oedipal dynamics, and his model of the ego keeping a watchful eye on the furious id, seemed clearly fitting with influential Hollywood genres such as melodrama, horror, the thriller, and film noir. The most commercially successful Hollywood genres of the 2000s were fantasy and superhero movies. These genres embrace magical storytelling and characters of outsized dimensions and godlike powers. Popular culture seems to be growing more and more Jungian. The Jungian language of archetypes and the collective unconscious have their roots in the storytelling traditions of myth and fairy tale - exactly the genres Jungian analysts have always most valued.
Examining different genres including folktales, films, operas and soap operas, Christopher Booker described seven basic plots of mythical association, which share basic character types and present different views of the same central preoccupations. These include: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth which have been presented in such films as The Lord of the Rings, Dracula, Alice in Wonderland and many more.
As proved by many examples mentioned above, the contemporary thinking of humans and popular culture permeate with mythical associations. People still associate themselves with mythical characters and figures and mass media function in this process is extremely influential.