These definitions make a good start. I wouldn't have thought of including hidden uses as one of these, so now I'm going to be looking at some readings and wondering about that. For myself, though, the effective and informed use of mythology in literature goes even a bit deeper than using societies or characters with understanding. I used to have in my signature (several ISP's ago) a quote from Joseph Campbell in which he defines myth as the doorway through which the energy of the cosmos enters human culture (that's an inexact paraphrase, if anyone knows the exact quote I'd love to see it again) For me, a writer who uses mythology well is one who succeeds in capturing some of that cosmic mystery, giving us a glimpse of something too large to be seen complete with human eyes. It doesn't matter whether the glimpse comes from bits of old mythology walking into our world (Charles de Lint or Neil Gaiman) or from a whole subcreated world (Middle Earth, Earthsea, Discworld). If the story makes me feel that its events are connected to or influenced even in a small way by that cosmic energy, that metaphysical Beyond, then its mythology works well. As an aside, I'll add that I'm slowly working my way through Tom Shippey's studies of Tolkien's work, and his insights into the ways and the whys of Tolkien's use of mythology and folklore are absolutely fascinating. For the first time, I'm really beginning to understand why these books grabbed me so hard and so deep, from the first time I read them. Highly recommended for any Tolkien lover.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-09-02 08:40 pm (UTC)For myself, though, the effective and informed use of mythology in literature goes even a bit deeper than using societies or characters with understanding. I used to have in my signature (several ISP's ago) a quote from Joseph Campbell in which he defines myth as the doorway through which the energy of the cosmos enters human culture (that's an inexact paraphrase, if anyone knows the exact quote I'd love to see it again)
For me, a writer who uses mythology well is one who succeeds in capturing some of that cosmic mystery, giving us a glimpse of something too large to be seen complete with human eyes. It doesn't matter whether the glimpse comes from bits of old mythology walking into our world (Charles de Lint or Neil Gaiman) or from a whole subcreated world (Middle Earth, Earthsea, Discworld). If the story makes me feel that its events are connected to or influenced even in a small way by that cosmic energy, that metaphysical Beyond, then its mythology works well.
As an aside, I'll add that I'm slowly working my way through Tom Shippey's studies of Tolkien's work, and his insights into the ways and the whys of Tolkien's use of mythology and folklore are absolutely fascinating. For the first time, I'm really beginning to understand why these books grabbed me so hard and so deep, from the first time I read them. Highly recommended for any Tolkien lover.