This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
What is myth and how does it relate to storytelling in general and to our Catholic Faith in particular? How have the great myths of the world’s cultures been adapted into novels and plays?
Total classes: 13
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 10th
Suggested credit: 1 full semester Literature or English
Description
What is myth and how does it relate to storytelling in general and to our Catholic Faith in particular? How have the great myths of the world’s cultures been adapted into novels and plays? What are the essential elements of myth that speak to the human condition? Using J.R.R. Tolkien’s insights into mythology as an interpretive guide, we will examine these and other questions, focusing on the connection between mythology and great literature.
Outline
Overview: Selections from Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories” – a Guide to Understanding Myth
Mythology and Religion: Mythology in Ancient Greek Drama
Mythology and Religion: Divine Use of Myth in the Gospels – Parables and Signs
Mythology of Transformation: From Ovid to Dante – Pagan and Christian notions of Transformation.
Mythology of Transformation: Shakespeare’s use of Myth in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mythology of Transformation in Modern Works – Various Selections
Mythology of Love: Cupid and Psyche
Mythology of Love: C. S. Lewis Til We Have Faces
Mythology of Selfishness: Narcissus through the Ages
Mythology of Power and Creation: Pygmalion from the Greeks to Shaw
Mythology of Humility and Redemption: King Arthur – Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Mythology of Humility and Redemption: Selections from Chaucer through Modern Times
Review
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: Til We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis;
Other materials provided as PDFs by the instructor.
Homework: Reading assignments, several tests, mid-term paper, final paper. Expect about four hours of prep (on average) for each class per week.
