ENGL 2720 - Mythology

(3 CR, 3T + 0L)

This course is an introduction to the nature and function of mythology. In this class we will study and compare mythologies of different cultures, keeping an eye on the ways in which myths expresses the inexpressible. If one aspect of myth is that it tends to speak in the indigenous layer of the psyche (what Freud called “primary thinking”), then the fascination with myth can be understood, at least partly, as a fascination with the archaic (or archetypal) aspect of life. From that perspective, the study of myth is partly the study of inner life, the life of the imagination, which is why myth has been central to so many other disciplines.

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1110.