Myth Criticism and Contemporary Literary Theory

Abstract

Myth criticism, one of the schools in contemporary French literary theory, was defined by the French anthropologist Gilbert Durand, in his seminal work Les structures anthropologiques de l’imaginaire (1969). It appeared as a potential synthesis between the (mostly) rationalistic French structuralism and the religious studies approach to mythical patterns in literary works. As addressed by myth criticism, the core dilemma of literary studies and more widely of humanities is the following: how to define their objectives and find the most “appropriate” methods in dealing with materials that are mainly “non-rational” in their nature, connected to the deeper layers of human psyche, human existence and creativity, and manifested through legends, archetypes and symbols. As encountered mainly in Spain, but also in Belgium and France, the contemporary, “new” myth criticism recognizes the need for interdisciplinarity and the inclusion of the new forms of artistic endeavours in connection to the new media. Nevertheless, the basic question remains open, about the best adapted method, scientific or less rational, for an appropriate analysis of myths in contemporary arts and more particularly in literature.