What Is a Myth?
“Myth” is one of those mysterious words, like “God,” “freedom,” or “truth,” which, when uttered, says a great deal about the speaker. As a symbol or sign, the word “myth” becomes a mirror reflecting back on our own hermeneutic and shows us (perhaps naked) in the light of its own enigma. The word is a gyrating rebus pulling images of its shape from our own experiences and worldviews. It is simultaneously, a finger pointing at the moon, a finger pointing at a lie, and a transmission of eternal values. A myth is . . .
In the sixth chapter of Alien Sex in Silicon Valley, my forthcoming satirical novel, the Southern protagonist Alan Burnett offers his definition of mythology:
“A story, as we live it is a myth, which is to say, a functional projection of narrative onto reality. Reality, let’s just say, is so sublime and so complex that we can never, by any means that I know of, really come to terms with the Grand Enchilada. Experience is our interfacing with that reality.
“Almost immediately, we start laying story down onto our experience. I might even say that story is the way that we experience our experience. So, it’s really difficult to even get to our own experiences of reality, because we are so deep in our storying of our experience.”
In the above passage, Alan is talking about a “myth” as being a hermeneutic, worldview, or perceptual lens. It is a web of narrative that contextualizes experience. In personal mythology it is largely internal. In cultural mythology it is both internal and external, social institutions, media, communities, rituals and life practices taking on the analogical shape of these narratives. In a later chapter of the book, Alan further explains his ideas on mythology:
“A mythological story is a systemic loop implicating you in its narrative. Even if you say that you don’t ‘believe’ in the narrative you are probably still participating in it. Most often, the narrative is semi-conscious at best and it’s always self-reinforcing. And, this is true for a comparatively personal myth or a collective or cultural myth. In both situations, your external environment will reinforce your mythological narrative.”
. . . .
“The myth is a story living in that environment that connects you to other folks and their ideas. It’s a narrative that acts through you in what you say and what you believe.”
Again, Alan Burnett’s definition of myth mirrors the world experiences of Alan Burnett, which in turn mirror my own as an author. Within the creative work there is something of an analogical telescope stretching from author to reader. I think that Alan’s definition of myth as worldview or hermeneutic (though inappropriate for a folklorist) opens up a dialogue that allows us to explore how profoundly we ‘story’ our lives. There is a world of contrivance between our underlying awareness and our experience of reality. And there is value in exploring the world of one’s own narratives, both personally and culturally.
In the sixth chapter of Alien Sex in Silicon Valley, my forthcoming satirical novel, the Southern protagonist Alan Burnett offers his definition of mythology:
“A story, as we live it is a myth, which is to say, a functional projection of narrative onto reality. Reality, let’s just say, is so sublime and so complex that we can never, by any means that I know of, really come to terms with the Grand Enchilada. Experience is our interfacing with that reality.
“Almost immediately, we start laying story down onto our experience. I might even say that story is the way that we experience our experience. So, it’s really difficult to even get to our own experiences of reality, because we are so deep in our storying of our experience.”
In the above passage, Alan is talking about a “myth” as being a hermeneutic, worldview, or perceptual lens. It is a web of narrative that contextualizes experience. In personal mythology it is largely internal. In cultural mythology it is both internal and external, social institutions, media, communities, rituals and life practices taking on the analogical shape of these narratives. In a later chapter of the book, Alan further explains his ideas on mythology:
“A mythological story is a systemic loop implicating you in its narrative. Even if you say that you don’t ‘believe’ in the narrative you are probably still participating in it. Most often, the narrative is semi-conscious at best and it’s always self-reinforcing. And, this is true for a comparatively personal myth or a collective or cultural myth. In both situations, your external environment will reinforce your mythological narrative.”
. . . .
“The myth is a story living in that environment that connects you to other folks and their ideas. It’s a narrative that acts through you in what you say and what you believe.”
Again, Alan Burnett’s definition of myth mirrors the world experiences of Alan Burnett, which in turn mirror my own as an author. Within the creative work there is something of an analogical telescope stretching from author to reader. I think that Alan’s definition of myth as worldview or hermeneutic (though inappropriate for a folklorist) opens up a dialogue that allows us to explore how profoundly we ‘story’ our lives. There is a world of contrivance between our underlying awareness and our experience of reality. And there is value in exploring the world of one’s own narratives, both personally and culturally.
posted by Dave Alber at 10:51 PM
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