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Readings &
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This page lists the textbooks and links for this course. Some of the
required books must be purchased, and will be available about one month in
advance of the course's beginning. A few required textbooks are ONLINE--you
cannot find them anywhere except on the Web. Links to them are
below. In addition, there are other links below that may be
helpful.
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READING-ASSIGNMENT OPTIONS (see schedule):
KING ARTHUR BIBLE
HELP WITH CAMPBELL'S HERO
DIRECTIONS TO EVENTS
NOODLETOOLS BIBLIOGRAPHY MAKER
This page lists required textbooks,
optional ones, and other resources and readings. If you want to see a list of each
of the weekly readings required as homework, go to the weekly
Schedule in this Web
site. If you want to see how to do each type of homework paper, go to
Homework.
NOTE:
Please read the weekly "Schedule" and the different options available in some
weeks before you choose what to buy! (You may not have to buy all of these
books.)
STARTING
NOTES FOR BUYING YOUR BOOKS:
The bookstore should have most or all of the books below two to four weeks before class
starts. However, if you're making a special trip to school just to buy the books,
you might want to call the bookstore first to see if the books are all
in.
Some people prefer to buy from a supplier other than Inver Hills. For example, some
people like to buy from Amazon.com. This is fine, if you prefer it. It may
even save you money, especially if you order used books and/or order your books all at
once (to decrease shipping costs). However, please be aware that you are expected to
keep up with the weekly work even if your books haven't arrived. If you're intent on
ordering books online, it may be better to buy the books you need during the first two
weeks from the IHCC bookstore, and buy the rest online. For Week 2
of class, you will need to start reading several chapters (not the entire two books) of
Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces and Classic Fairy Tales edited by
Tatar. Then you must write about the chapters you have read. Now, the schedule
does allow you to be up to a week late in getting your writing assignments in. As a
result, your writings about these first several chapters can be turned in as late as
Thurs. midnight of Week 3. However, anything later than that will be
considered too late for credit. So, be sure you have these first two books by Week 2
of the course. Others can arrive a week or two later than that.
If you're ordering from Amazon.com or the like, another thing to watch out for is the
editions. All the books required for the class are available in low-cost paperback
or "trade" paper format. In particular, watch out for prices and editions
for Classic Fairy Tales edited by Maria Tatar: I chose the "Norton Critical
Edition" trade-paper version with no illustrations; but last year some people ordered
the book online and ended up buying, unnecessarily, a much more expensive,
color-illustrated version. Also, watch out for which edition you purchase of
Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces. The one I have ordered, the
Bollingen/Princeton edition, is the cheapest. The IHCC bookstore will have the
correct, inexpensive editions of this course's books.
Here's one more note. Near the end of the course, you may choose between Tolkien's Hobbit
(the book about his Lord of the Rings world that comes before the Lord of the Rings
Trilogy), three books in C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, and the Wizard of Oz. I
just added this last one because there is a big, two-day, student-faculty Wizard of Oz
Conference this spring on campus. You may even attend parts of this conference for
extra credit, if you wish. However, I don't know when--if at all--the Wizard of
Oz books will be available in the bookstore, so if it's available now and you want it,
grab it up quickly, as copies may go quickly as we get near the conference time.
Otherwise, feel free to this one, too, elsewhere.
If you want to ask me any questions ahead of time, feel free to contact me! Email me
at richard@jewell.net or call 612.870.7024.
Good luck, and I'll see you at the first in-person meeting on campus on the first Thursday
night of classes!
NOTE:
Please read the weekly "Schedule" and the different options available in some
weeks before you choose what to buy! (You may not have to
buy all of these books.)
Return to top.
REQUIRED BOOKS AND
SOFTWARE YOU MUST PURCHASE:
(Note:
The least expensive options have been chosen; most will be available from the
IHCC bookstore 2-4 weeks before the course begins--call the bookstore before
making a special trip there just for your books.)
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The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (Spring 2009:
The cheapest is a paperbound, perhaps only used copies available for $10-15:
publ. by Princeton/Bollingen, 2nd edition, 1968. The only new version
available is now what the IHCC Bookstore has, a New World Library hardbound
for $22. However, any edition is fine.) Some people find this book
difficult to read or understand. If this is you, get help! You can
find help by scrolling down or clicking here to see other Web sites on Hero.
These other web sites can be tremendously helpful to some people. You
also may get extra credit for reading these additional sites, so write a brief
summary of what you read (200+ w.) and send it to me with a statement of how
much time you spent both reading and writing, and I'll give you extra credit. Please also
look at the
"NOTE ABOUT HERO" in
the HOMEWORK page.
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Myths of the Ancient Greeks
by Richard P. Martin (Publ.: New American
Library/Penguin, 2003, trade/paper bound.)
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(However, if you wish, you may instead buy a book that will not
be available at the IHCC Bookstore: the paperback version of
Robert Graves' Greek Myths: Vol.
1 (not
Vol. 2). Most people consider it too dry, but it is a more
detailed accounting of Greek myth that a few students have preferred.)
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Oedipus the King
by Sophocles. (Publ.: Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster,
Pocket Books Classic/Enriched Classic, revised edition, 1994; paperback bound; in other
editions, the title sometimes is Oedipus Rex)
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The Classic Fairy Tales
edited by Maria Tatar (Publ.: Norton, Norton Critical
Edition, 1998; trade/paper bound. WARNING: Do not get the large, illustrated hardbound
edition. It does NOT have the same stories!)
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Microsoft Word (or Office) Software, any version 1995 or older.
You must use it to write and send me the term paper by attachment, to read my
comments that I send back, and to make your revisions on the term paper.
You can NOT use an .rtf attachment to send it, as this will not retain page
number inserts, it will not show my comments and markings properly, and it
will not let you make revisions as I require them. Word is a common and
expected software program in almost all 3000 and 4000 level classes in college.
If you are an IHCC student, you may buy Word for $66 (as of 4-09) by going to
www.inverhillsbookstore.com
and, at the bottom of the page, clicking on "Microsoft Promo."
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ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FIVE READING CHOICES:
(a) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (any edition)
(Or you may buy it and one or two of the
other books listed here, and read a little from each for three weeks.)
(b) The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum (any edition--may not be
available in IHCC
bookstore)
(Or you may buy it and one or two of the
other books listed here, and read a little from each for three weeks.)
(c) The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, 3 only
of the 7 books:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by
C.S. Lewis,
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis, and
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S.
Lewis
(any edition OK; the one ordered is published by HarperCollins/HarperTrophy, 1994,
paperback bound. In the HarperTrophy editions, they are books 2, 4, & 5.
This numbering might differ in other editions.)
(Or you may buy it and one or two of the
other books listed here, and read a little from each for three weeks.)
(d) Beowulf translated by
Seamus Heaney. You may use a different
translation, but this new version by Heaney may be, by far, the most readable.
I would recommend seeing the movie/DVD Beowulf or the TV movie
Grendel first (see below in "Movies"), for which you can get extra credit (but this is not required). If you do see one of
these movies, be sure to highlight in your comments on your reading what is
different about the book.
(e) The written version of any live play, on stage, that we see as a group
or that I specifically recommend to you for individual viewing.
These plays will be announced sometime in the first
several weeks of the class.
Return to top.
REQUIRED ONLINE RESOURCES:
(free and online; purchase not
required)
Directions to Events: You'll need this page of directions to our museum and play visits to find the locations easily
and in some cases get better parking.
THEORIES TO USE FOR INTERPRETING/ARGUING
(updated 16 Jan. 2013):
Directions:
This list of theories available online will help you later in the term when you
must use a theory each week to write a rough-draft interpretation.
When exploring theories to use when
interpreting literature, your
best bet is to look for theories that you already know, either from reading about them
and/or, better yet, from living or experiencing them.
While you are free to play with these theories, be sure that you do
understand what they mean before you try to use them.
---------------------------
Find Your Own: Use
www.Google.com and write "_____ theory" with the name
or type of theory written in the blank.
General List of Theories:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_theories
---------------------------
Creation:
www.crystalinks.com/creation.html
Criminology:
www.crimetheory.com/explorations.htm
Feminism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_theory
Literary Criticism
(advanced):
www.kristisiegel.com/theory.htm#phenom
Nursing:
http://healthsci.clayton.edu/eichelberger/nursing.htm
Political Science:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_science
Psychology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Psychological_theories,
www.psy.pdx.edu/PsiCafe/KeyTheorists, http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/perscontents.html
(personality theories)
Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/contents.html,
www.rep.routledge.com/signpost-articles,
www.iep.utm.edu,
Religion/s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups
Return to top.
ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES:
Help with Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces
(updated 16 Jan. 2013). Hero
can be a difficult book to read. Here are some Web sites that may help. You're
welcome to claim extra credit time
for reading them. Also, you may find assistance by simply reading carefully what
other people have to say each week on our own class'
bulletin board site
about the contents of that week's Hero reading. Yet another
help is the chart of the hero's journey at the very beginning of Part I, Chapter
4: in my opinion, it should be at the beginning of Part I, not the end.
You can also see a slightly more visual version of it at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Heroesjourney.svg.
The entire book is divided into two "Parts": "Part I" and "Part II." Here
are websites that can help you understand either or both. I highly
recommend their use, especially when you are starting Hero.
Hero, Part I.
Here are additional websites that can help you with
Part I:
Hero, Part II. Part II is harder to understand at first--it has
a higher reading level--but it gets a little easier after two weeks of
assignments. Here are some websites that may help, especially at the
beginning:
Help
with Myths. Do you need a reference source listing thousands of mythic
beings and events throughout the world? See the links at http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/humanities/LinksToHumanities.htm#MYTHOLOGY.
National
Geographic
article on the origin of “Red Riding Hood”
(as of 1-'14): Both the article
and the comments from readers after it are interesting. If you want to read
it and write 200+ w. about it, I’ll be glad to give you extra credit for it:
email the writing with a note at the top telling me how much time you spent
reading and writing about it:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/11/131129-little-red-riding-hood-folktale-tehrani-anthropology-science/.
Comic Books: A comic book series called
Fables by Bill Willingham might be an enjoyable way to learn more
myths, or more about the ones you already are aware of. You can search for
them used or new at
www.Amazon.com.
NoodleTools:
an automated Web bibliography-entry maker. I have a
subscription to use it in my classes. It is free for you to use. You simply
type in the author's names, titles, publisher, etc., and it will create a perfect
bibliography entry (in MLA or APA) for you. Correct bibliography entries will be
required in your final papers. Just click here on NoodleTools to start.
Email: (1) Please
be sure the school has a record of your current email address. It is to
this email address that school emails--and Eng 2235 emails--will go. Check it
at least once per week!
(2) For our own class email, if you want to use
something different (or use two email addresses), you may send me a different
email address: tell me if it is to replace or be added to your
school-listed email address.
Online Bulletin Boards: Click here or access them on
the home page by clicking on the "Bull. Boards" box.
Experiencing the Humanities: "Mythology"
and other chapters. This is an online textbook arranged by humanities
subjects (e.g., "Mythology," "History," "Philosophy," "Art," etc.).
Links to Literature:
Web Links to Mythic Literature. This is another collection of dozens of links
leading to thousands more, all of them literary texts or related subjects. You will
find some links to mythic literature among them.
Links to
the Humanities: Web Links to Mythology. This is a collection of hundreds of
links leading to thousands more, all on humanities subjects. One section in
particular is on "Mythology." These links may help you find materials for
your assigned "Practice Activities" and resources for your final project.
See
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/humanities/LinksToHumanities.htm#MYTHOLOGY.
"Find in a
Library"--for your term paper: You can go to Google or Yahoo to find your
choice of books in a library. Follow these simple steps:
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Go to www.Google.com or www.Yahoo.com.
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Use its
search engine as normal, except start with "find in a library." For
example, if you were trying to find Shakepeare's Hamlet this way, you would type
into the search engine box
find in a library hamlet shakespeare
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Then when
the book name comes up, click on "Find a Library."
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And then, in the
new window, add your zip code. You'll get a list of libraries having your book
(including the Inver Hills Community College Library). More details
are available at http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/open/about.htm.
http://CollegeWriting.Info: Chapters
on writing literature papers. This is a complete college writing textbook.
The section on "Writing to Literature" has several chapters that you can use
during the course to learn how to write the required weekly papers and the final
paper.
Literary Terms:
http://bedfordstmartins.com/litgloss
(Bedford St. Martin's literary glossary of over 200 terms)
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/
(short dictionary of terms)
Online Grammar Handbook: A
grammar handbook of Web links. It will help you find answers to questions about
grammar, spelling, punctuation, quotations, bibliographies, and many related editing and
revising items.
Return to top.
OTHER OPTIONAL RESOURCES:
Books
Movies
King Arthur
Odyssey Pwr.Pt.
Judeo-Christian Bible
(Click on the above or scroll down.)
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Misc. Books:
Request to have me put these on reserve if you
wish to see them:
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On reserve in IHCC library: Beowulf, A New Verse
Translation by Seamus Heaney. 218 pp. Somewhere around 650-1000
AD, one of the greatest epic poems ever written was composed by an unknown
author. Nobel prizewinner and Harvard teacher Heaney, in this new
translation, "accomplish[es] a faithful rendering that is simultaneously an
original and gripping poem..." (New York Times Book Review).
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On reserve in IHCC library: Classical Myth, 5th ed. by
Barry Powell. 732 pp., lavishly illustrated with an index at the end.
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On reserve in IHCC library: The Trickster: A Study in American
Indian Mythology, 211 pp. by Paul Radin with commentaries by Karl
Kerenyi and C.G. Jung. "The myth of the Trickster...is one of the
earliest and most universal expressions of mankind. Nowhere does it
survive in more starkly archaic form than in the voraciously uninhibited
epsodes of the Winnebago [Native American] Trickster Cycle, recorded here in
full..... Paul Radin [was] one of the leading anthropologists of the
American Indian."
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On reserve in IHCC library: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology,
512 pp. with ample color illustrations, by Cotterell & Storm: "A comprehensive A
to Z of the classic stories of gods and goddesses, heroes and mythical beasts, wizards and
warriors" of civilizations throughout the world and time. Contents: Myths of
Greece and Rome, the Celtic World, the Nordic Lands, Egypt and West Asia, South and
Central Asia, East Asia, and an Index.
Other Books:
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Anything by Joseph Campbell.
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An IHCC Library book, The Canterbury
Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, a Retelling by Peter Ackroyd.
Chaucer is sometimes called the father of English literature. This
excellent new translation and retelling makes this iconic work of medieval
England (late 14th century) more accessible while continuing to reveal
medieval English society in all its pomp, bawdiness, pettiness, and irony.
Composed of a series of individual stories, each of which can be read on its
own, it is--in both its cultural and mythic dimensions as well as its
storytelling devices--an important bridge between the literature of classic
Greece and Rome on the one hand and the European renaissance of which it is an
example on the other.
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Any mythic literature. To be defined as "literature," it must be a
classic mythic story in written form, or a modern literary classic that has
established its quality as true literature by winning and/or being nominated
for significant literary awards.
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Any books about the literature of
mythology.
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Any original novels from which the movies below were made.
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Anything on the anthropological study of magic.
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Especially recommended on African mythology:
Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an
African Shaman by Malidoma Patrice Somé.
311 pp. New York: Penguin, 1995.
Movies with Mythological
Themes:
Please note: because this is an English
literature class, the only movies that are acceptable are those based on
written books that are literary classics in their field, old or
modern. (In addition, please note that because this is a
literature class, watching and
writing about movies counts only as 1/3rd time for extra credit: 3 hrs. of
watching and writing = 1 hr. of extra cr. This is also explained on the
"Attendance" page in its section called "Make Ups & Extra Credit.")
For longer descriptions of these movies, go
to www.imdb.com ("Internet Movie
Database").
Alice in Wonderland. ** to ****. There are
several versions of this great classic, the best known (and possibly best made) of which
is the Walt Disney animated film. While it features original author Lewis Carroll's
own fantasy creatures, many of them represent mythic themes and forces that are part of
our Western cultural history for the past millennium.
Avatar. ****. This 2009 movie has
become an instant modern classic, collecting several significant awards, thus
making the screenplay itself a work of literature. Interweaving elements
of classic and modern mythology, fantasy, and science fiction, the film shows a
normally peaceful but intelligent society of human-like beings on an alien world
that is like an Eden. They are threatened by a big mining corporation from
Earth. An Earth man infiltrates their society using an "avatar" or body
like the natives', which his consciousness inhabits daily to learn from them.
However, he "goes native," choosing to live with them and ultimately lead them
against the evil mining company.
Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and other Walt Disney classic animated fairy
tales. *** to ****. These classic stories come from medieval, renaissance, and
baroque/enlightenment-period tales that have been around--and have changed form--from
century to century and country to country for many hundreds of years in Western society.
Beowulf, 2007, about 3 hrs. ***-***½. Ray
Winstone, Crispin Glover, Angelina Jolie, and Robin Wright Penn. The warrior hero Beowulf arises from humble beginnings by defeating the monster Grendel
and becomes a close friend of the king, but hubris (pride) causes him to
lose his way ethically and physically, and he then must defeat the monster's
equally monstrous mother, who first disguises herself as a beautiful seductress. This new movie version of the
ancient Beowulf legend has received excellent critical reviews and is, at the
least, an excellent rendering of the comic-book version of this myth. It
also does reasonably fair justice to the original book itself (which is now
available in a brilliant new translation: see the book list above). See also
Grendel below.
The Brothers Grimm, 120 min. 2005.
**-***. Matt Damon, Heath Ledger. According to Comcast summary, "Con men become
caught in a real fairy tale in an enchanted forest." Some critics liked this
quite a bit; others, less so.
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
2005. **** This Oscar-winning movie version of the first C.S. Lewis Chronicles
of Narnia series tells the story of four children who accidentally fall into the
kingdom of Narnia, where mythical creatures and beasts live side by side with talking
animals in medieval pageantry and power, all of whom are led by mighty Aslan, the lion
king, who must take back the kingdom from the grips of winter and the cold-hearted ice
queen. The children precipitate this event when they arrive as the only humans in
the place, fulfilling a prophecy of their coming. The books and the movie are filled
with thinly disguised Christian symbolism, but they work well without knowing the
symbolism, too, especially as a modern retelling of medieval and earlier mythologies.
Camelot and other feature films about King Arthur and
the Knights of the Round Table. ** to ****. Almost all King Arthur movies are
idealized Hollywood versions of the older King Arthur legends. Of these, Camelot,
***, is perhaps the best known with the most positive reviews. Another
recent one is King Arthur, starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightly, 2004, **½,
130 min., "promoted as the 'true' story" that "revolves around a
group of
knights whose loyalty is torn between Rome, Britain, and their homeland to the east"
(Apollo Reviews). The movie Excalibur, a movie from the 1980s?
with Monty Python people in it, is a serious film that perhaps is closest of any
Arthur-legend movies to the original legends, themselves.
Clash of the Titans. **-***.
Based on early Greek myths, this is the story of the hero Perseus, who goes on
an adventurous quest to kill the Medusa (the famous snake-haired villainess) and
other great deeds in order to save those he loves. Hades and the Kraken
also figure prominently in this version. The movie takes many twists and
turns that are a little different from the original Greek story, and it has
rather melodramatic acting at times, but still it is an interesting and fun
introduction to elements of early Greek myth.
Conan the Barbarian, 1982. ***, 150 min.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Earl Jones. From the famous early-20th cent. novel
series. According to Comcast, "Conan [Schwarzenegger] sets out with a Mongol
and a queen to take his father's sword from a snake king [Jones]." If you like
the genre of myth and fantasy known as "sword and sorcery," this movie is
wonderful fun. It helped establish both Schwarzenegger's and Jones' careers as
actors. Schwarzenegger plays the muscular, displaced barbarian Conan on his
spiritual journey of revenge through ancient, unnamed barbarian lands to find the evil
snake king, Jones, who slew his entire village and his parents. Jones plays a
marvelously evil, charming, and powerful sorcerer who can change from human to giant snake
and back again, who leads a cult of thousands of blind worshippers.
Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King, 2006, SciFi Channel
Miniseries, 4 hrs. (w/lots of commercials), **½-***.
DVD also available. This well done epic of early medieval sword and sorcery has a
hero, a warrior queen, a great dragon to slay, good and evil kings, magic, love, great
danger, gold, and a crazed sorcerer. And, like most great myths from early times, at
its core it is a great tragedy, as well. It is based on the 12th-century German epic
poem of the Nibelungen saga, which was an inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's
"Ring" trilogy (and the Hobbit before it) and many other modern fantasy
writers. The movie's setting is circa 500 AD in the early medieval Norse kingdoms
where Christianity has not quite reached everyone and worship of Odin still holds
sway.
The Golden Compass, 2007, about 2 hrs. ***.
A girl learns she has magic power which she uses to thwart evil creatures and
humans in the icy reaches near the top of the world. The books and the
movie based on them are modern creations, but they embody a mix of myths from a
number of cultures (mostly Western, especially ones near the Arctic circle) and
centuries.
Grendel, 2007, 2 hrs. w/commercials. **-***. This SciFi Channel made-for-TV movie
is a reasonable and sometimes moving retranslation of the ancient classic
Beowulf, and a good introduction to reading the ancient book-poem. See
"Beowulf" above.
Harry Potter movies.
***-***½.
Like the books
before them, the Harry Potter movies capture in wonderfully charming ways much of
contemporary understandings about witches and magic, something like Walt Disney meets
J.R.R. Tolkien and the Brothers Grimm. The first Harry
Potter book won Great Britain's exclusive Booker Prize (similar to the U.S.
Pulitizer Prize for Fiction). If you have a choice and haven't seen it, start
with the first one, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Inkheart, stars Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany,
and Helen Mirren, 2009. **½. Inkheart is an "upscale
children's fantasy film," according to McClatchy Newspapers reviewer Colin
Covert, that, "while it hits all the right notes, ...lacks the wild, magical
excitement essential to a blockbuster crowd pleasers. It's solid and
joyless." It is adapted from a literate novel by Cornelia Funke, "the
German J.K. Rowling." A book restorer (Fraser) and his daughter, 12, go
back and forth across the divide between reality and fantasy land, fighting a
literary villain and his goons, minotaurs, and flying monkeys, with all kinds of
other legendary creatures and people appearing as the plot thickens.
Into the Woods, Dir. James Lapine, stars Bernadette
Peters, 1991. ***½.
Into the Woods originally was a Tony award-winning Broadway play. Amazon.com
gives the movie version of this fun romp through a number of fairy tales the highest
rating possible, describing the plot as follows: "A childless baker and his
wife cannot have a child until they follow the bidding of the witch next door to get a cow
as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as
pure as gold. Good thing, then that they've got neighbors named Jack, Little Red Riding
Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella to help them before (and after) Happily Ever After."
Ivanhoe, stars Robert Taylor and Elizabeth
Taylor, 1952, 120 min. ***-***½.
Based on a famous novel by
Sir Walter Scott, this story feeds on the same types of cultural and historical
veins as Robin Hood. Set in the same period of time, the story shows
Ivanhoe, a knight, who fights for "courtly love and Saxon honor" (TCM) to help
King Richard, recently released from prison, take back his throne from the evil
Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Jason and the Argonauts, 1963, 120 min. Todd
Armstrong and Nancy Kovack. ***. This is one of several late '50s-early '60s
"stop-motion animation" films combining real actors and places with special
effects created by filming just one frame at a time of a mythical creature, stopping the
camera and moving the creature in one small way, filming another frame, and so
forth. To create the appearance of smooth motion, a five-minute scene might take as
much as several months to film, especially if multiple creatures and real humans are
involved at the same time. In this movie, Greek hero Jason sails past mythic evils
and gods to reach the fabled golden fleece guarded by seven-headed Hydra, whose teeth are
sown to create skeleton soldiers. The musical score sometimes gets in the way.
(See also The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.)
King Arthur. See above "Camelot."
The Legend of Earthsea, 200? ***. DVD
probably also available. A SciFi Channel miniseries based on the award-winning
series of books by the same name by fantasy Ursula LeGuin, in which wizards and witches
must battle to preserve peace and honor on a planet strikingly similar to a very nice
medieval Europe. I haven't seen the movie, but it has been well reviewed.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy. *** to ****. This
recently-made trilogy has won multiple awards and is a mostly accurate and wonderful
recreation of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary fantasy classic by the same name. The three
individual movies, each over 2 hrs. long, are The Fellowship of the Ring, The Dark
Tower [?], and The Return of the King. [Note: The
precursor to Lord of the Rings is a children's book Tolkien called The Hobbit,
which was made in the 1980s (?) into a children's animated film that some people like and
others find poorly done.]
Midsummer Night's Dream. ** to ****. There
are several video/film versions of this Shakespeare classic about sprites, spirits, and
humans gathering in the Forest of Arden for mischief, intrigue, and love.
MirrorMask. A fantasy film. (Stars
unknown.) The script is a collaboration by the excellent American fantasy writer and
author of American Gods, Neil Gaiman, and the equally excellent English comic book
artist Dave McKean. The movie, according to the Star Tribune, "was
hailed for its stunning blend of live action and blue-screen computer imagery [and]
criticized for its meandering story of a girl lost in a darker 'Wizard of Oz'-type
world" (Tom Horgen, 7 Jan. 2007, "Not-so-silent Partner").
Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis. ***. Lewis
wrote seven short novels about his Christian fantasy world Narnia. It combines
Christian, modern, and children's storytelling myth and symbol with a plot complete with
evil doers, heroes, and earthling children who have accidentally happened into this mirror
world. There are one or two older video versions available of all seven, and the
first of the tales, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, was released in 2005 as
a major motion picture feature film.
Robin Hood. ** to ****. There are several
video/film versions of this perennial renaissance-period romance that fits the ancient
myth of the robber-hero (and trickster god) found in cultures throughout the world.
The best of this group is, perhaps, the 1930s (?) Errol Flynn classic. In a more
recent version, Sean Connery plays an aging Robin Hood. Even more recently, (1991,
110 min.), Patrick Bergin plays Robin and Uma Thurman offers an over-the-top, sarcastic
version of Marian.
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 1958, 90 min. Kerwin
Mathews and Kathryn Grant. ***. This is one of several late '50s-early '60s
"stop-motion animation" films combining real actors and places with special
effects created by filming just one frame at a time of a mythical creature, stopping the
camera and moving the creature in one small way, filming another frame, and so
forth. To create the appearance of smooth motion, a five-minute scene might take as
much as several months to film, especially if multiple creatures and real humans are
involved at the same time. In this movie, Arabian hero Sinbad the Sailor seeks the
egg of a giant, two-headed Roc (bird of prey) in the land of one-eyed giants to help
restore his shrunken princess to full size. He must deal with a wicked Arabian
wizard who owns a magical golden lamp in which is trapped a young genii; when the lamp is
rubbed (and the right words chanted), the genii comes forth and grants a wish. The
musical score is especially good. (See also Jason and the Argonauts.)
Shakespeare plays. ** to ****. Almost any tragedy
or comedy by Shakespeare has mythic elements, some quite obvious and others more indirect
or hidden. If you want to tease them out, rent a Shakespeare play on DVD. A
very wide range of them is available from mediocre or superior. Staging can differ
dramatically, too: some are in period dress while others are in modern dress, some have
barebones stage settings while others are adapted to the great outdoors and to other
natural scenes such as castles and large-scale battles. At an introductory level,
for example, Franco Zefferelli's Romeo and Juliet is a great tragedy and excellent
drama with period costumes and settings from which to discuss ideas about the mythic
dimensions of love, passion, rivalry, youth, and age.
Troy, 2004, Brad Pitt, **1/2. This is
the Hollywood version of the great and famous story of Achilles leading Greece's
army in the Trojan War, which started when Paris kidnapped Helen of Troy.
Walt Disney classics: see above, Beauty and the
Beast, etc.
The Wizard of Oz, various versions (the most
recent of which is the more complex, adult, punk version by the SciFi channel). The classic
and still the best movie probably is the old one with Judy Garland.
Other Movies for Which One-third credit May Be Earned
(because the film scripts themselves can be considered
literature):
Arthur and the Invisibles, ***, PG.
This is, according to Colin Covert in the 12 Jan. Star Tribune, "a
lovely fairy tale seamlessly blend[ing] live action and computer animation" by
director Luc Besson who did the movies Fifth Element (Bruce Willis) and Final
Combat. It is "a gentler sort of adventure..., a quest involving tiny
elves, hidden treasure and mosquito-piloting marauders..., frenetic, fresh and
funny." It "stays close to the standard fairy-tale template."
It is aimed at both children and adults, and the main hero is a young man living with his
grandmother.
Bridge to Terabithia.
*** (2007
or 2008). A story for children that works for adults, too, the movie is
about two young adolescents who form a fast friendship by developing a fantasy
world of their own. The movie is also a tragedy that explores ideas about
how we create our own myths to make meaning in our lives.
Pan's Labyrinth. Stars Ivana Barquero and Sergi
Lozez (Spanish/Mexican, 2006). *** to
****. The National Society of Film Critics named this the Best Film of 2006, and it
also has received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film. Reviews
suggest it will be a fascinating trip through what Landmark Theatres Co. calls "a
unique, richly imagined epic--a gothic fairy tale set against the postwar repression of
Franco's Spain. The timeless tale of good and evil, bravery and sacrifice, love and
loss, unfolds through the eyes of...a dreamy little girl who is uprooted [and] lives out
her own dark fable as she confronts monsters both otherworldly and human."
The Princess Bride. ***. PG-13. This
popular, occasionally goofy, and fun adventure movie combines elements of several
different typical Western fairytales to show the hero's journey, true love, and
friendship.
Spirited Away, 2001, Dir. Miyazaki, 125 min.
****. This animated film won Best Animated Feature from the National Board of
Review, Best Picture-Golden Bear Award from the Berlin International Film Festival, and
Best Animated Film from the New York Film Critics' Circle. It is the story of a
young girl, Chihiro, who with her family accidentally walks into a spirit world.
There she meets a number of mythic spirits, discovers herself, and finds first love in her
journey to free her parents from the spell that has turned them into pigs. It
reflects both Japanese and European myths. Dave Kehr of the New York Times calls the
movie "a masterpiece, pure and simple."
Thief of Bagdad, 1940, color,Sabu and John
Justin, 120 min. ****. "A boy thief and a genie in a bottle help a
blinded prince recover his kingdom from a grand vizier."
Waterworld, Kevin Costner. Long. **1/2 to
***. Kevin Costner has tried to achieve myth in several of his films such as The
Postman, Dances with Wolves, and this one a mythic epic. He comes closest,
perhaps, in Waterworld, at least in a more obviously mythic sense because the movie involves not just a
mythic framework (mythic hero restoring balance to the world through love and hard work)
but also because the movie has slightly more fantastical elements: a world covered with
water, a hero who is a human with gills, a mysterious map leading the way to a
reputed Eden, et
al. If you like such movies, this is well worth watching. If you don't, stay
away from it.
The Wicker Man, 1973, Edward Woodward,
Christopher Lee, and Britt Eklund (1:30). *** "A police sergeant comes to
a Scottish isle where a local lord presides over a sacrificial pagan cult.
Mystery/suspense." This is not a horror movie, though there is a hard to
watch scene at the very end; rather, it is a well done, concrete, realistic
fantasy story about how a modern pagan cult might exist in small-town society in
England. The portrayals of paganism not only are rooted in English and
European history but also explained in a natural way as part of the ongoing
plot. (Note: There is a version of
this with Nicholas Cage, but this American version does not do nearly as much
justice to old European pagan culture and is not recommended for this class.)
Literary Legends of King Arthur Optional Assignments:
Read the three short Web pages in 1, 2, & 3 below;
then also find and read 30+ pp. (about 12,000+ words) of your choice of only one
of 4, 5, 6, or 7 below. For 4-7 below, choose the parts of the legend you
want to read. If you borrow or buy a book, read 30+ pages. If you read from
one of the Web sites, you'll have to estimate the 12,000+ words yourself because the size
of a Web page differs from one computer to another. How should you estimate?
See below.*
1. REQUIRED:
Introduction A, Historical person: www.kingarthursknights.com/arthur/legendary.asp.
2.
REQUIRED: Introduction B, History of the legend: go to
www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/middleages/topic_2/welcome.htm.
3.
REQUIRED: History of the Malory book and Caxton edition: go to www.legendofkingarthur.co.uk/literature/malory.htm.
4.
(CHOOSE 1 OF 4-7:) Le Morte Darthur—Sir Thomas
Malory’s full-text, 1470 A.D. story in nine “books.” This is the
original collection and creation of the King Arthur legend as we know it today, from
various older stories and legends that Malory collected and further developed. Be
aware, though, that the language is in 15th century English--not impossible to read, but
harder than contemporary English. Go to http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/Mal1Mor.html.
5.
(CHOOSE 1 OF 4-7:) Illustrated, larger-text version of same
book. Go to http://www.mysticrealms.org.uk/malory/.
Or, for purchase at larger bookstores or checkout from libraries, one of two modern
retellings of the Arthur legends:
6.
(CHOOSE 1 OF 4-7:) T.H. White’s The Once and Future
King. T.H. White is a relatively recent writer; this book has an avid
following among those who love the romance of the King Arthur stories. (See a
summary/synopsis at http://www2.netdoor.com/~moulder/thwhite/toafk_a.html.)
7.
(CHOOSE 1 OF 4-7:) John Steinbeck’s The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble
Knights.
Steinbeck was the author of such famous American novels as The Pearl and Grapes
of Wrath. (See summary/synopsis and preview at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0374523789/102-0703361-9320917.)
*How should you estimate 12,000
words on a Web site? Count your lines and screens:
(a) Count the words in ten average lines, then divide by ten to learn how many words there
are in an average line.
(b) Then figure out how many lines appear at one time on your screen. Use this to
estimate how many words appear at one time on your screen. (Multiple the number of
average words in a line by the number of lines that can appear on your screen at one
time.)
(c) Finally, figure out how many screens you'll need to reach 12,000+ w.
(d) Depending on your browser and the Web site, 12,000 words could end up being, roughly,
as few as 20 screens (small print) to as many as 60 screens (large print). If
you need help with the math, email me with the numbers you've already figured out.
Odyssey Survival Guide
If you'd like to view a brief, 10-slide PowerPoint
presentation by a former Eng 2235 student (used here with her permission) about
the story The Odyssey, you can do so either before or after reading the
story itself. Simply click here on
Odyssey
PowerPoint.
Judeo-Christian Bible optional readings:
Please read all of the
following stories in any order you like. The equivalent in a standard paperbound
storybook would be about 30-40 pages of reading.
Which type of Bible should you use? For our
purposes--to examine their mythic themes in literature--almost all versions are
acceptable. So use whatever you have, or choose a version on the Web. On the
Web, the versions of the King James often are the most beautiful to read; however, the
"literal," "paraphrase," and "interpreter's" versions try to
be the most accurate in offering possible options of translation and in offering updated
translations from ancient Bibles recently discovered through archeological finds.
These latter translations often are more accurate, word for word, but not as beautiful to
read. Many modern Bibles try to find a happy medium--straightforward translation
written in an interesting literary style. To find many online Bibles, go to
http://www.bible-researcher.com/links02.html.
Please be aware as you read these Bible passages that you
should be looking at them in terms of mythological themes. This
does not mean they are not necessarily true. In fact, some of our most
important mythic stories are completely true stories, but they correspond to
such important elements of great myths that these true stories become extremely
important to our cultures. For example, stories of our famous U.S.
Presidents, from Washington to Lincoln and beyond--most of which are very
true--often form some of the most important lessons we learn in elementary
school about morality, politics, and reality when we are children. These
true stories have mythic elements of great importance, and so they influence our
childhood views. Some of the best "myths" ever passed on to us are true
stories about real heroes and real heroines doing real things.
-
Daniel in the Lion's Den and in Babylon: Daniel 1-6 (Chapters 1-6
only)
-
Song of Songs (Song of Solomon): Song of Songs (whole book)
-
Jacob's Ladder: Genesis 28:10-22 (chapter 28, verses 10-22)
-
Prodigal Son: Luke 15 (all of Chapter 15)
-
2 Versions of Creation Myth:
Version #1, w/humans created in the
sixth day: Genesis 1:1-2:3
Version #2, w/everything created on
the same day: Genesis 2:4-2:22
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