Weeks 4-6

1. Cite some variations in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales in your Reader. Focus on the conditions by which the lady is either beautiful or ugly, and the actions of the knight/king/"hero"...

2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source.

3.Hahn's essay (see critical reader)on The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguesit has a different purpose than asserting the feminine. What does he think the function of the story is?

4. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"?

5. Discuss what you think is the most striking or outrageous example.

6. What does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English Renaissance?

6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?

       It is very clear to see how myths continually have an influence in our popular culture today. While it is not as common to retell myths to young children as it has been in the past, these myths are referenced consistently in our popular culture. As discussed in class, the genre of dragon slayers is an example of old mythology that continues to grow and develop through generations. In lecture, it was described as "a meme: viral in behaviour".

       It is easy to point out the multiple popular culture references to old myths in all narrative platforms. In text, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien, 1954) are obvious examples. Both fantasy novels were based on Old Norse tales. In The Hobbit, Tolkien references Beowulf (Heaney, 1999) when Bilbo Baggins goes into the dragon's layer to steal the treasure (Tolkien, 1937). It is also clear that the common theme of the 'dragon-slayer' is common among Norse mythology. 

         There are also references in pop culture to Norse Mythology that are not as subtle. For instance in the late 90’s there was a popular show called Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and within that show there was an episode called “Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bridge”. In that episode, the characters are Odin, Balder, Thor and Loki. This being a major reference to the Old Norse myths. As well as the original Marvel Comic Thor, being created about Thor, the Norse God associated with thunder, lighting, storms and strength (Lee, 1966). Examples like these often educate the audience of the tales of the myth as well as entertain.

         An example of pop culture reference to the Old Norse myths that is often overlooked is in the movie The Mask (Russell, 1994). The premise of the story is Jim Carrey’s character finds the mask of Loki and absorbs Loki’s traits of darkness and mischievousness (Russell, 1994). With mention of Loki in The Mask (Russell, 1994) being as subtle it shows that even though Norse myths are not the center of entertainment like they used to be, they still play a role in our entertainment today. 

         It is clear that mythology continually has a strong hold and continually impact our entertainment. We are consistently reverting back to themes and characters of the past to develop new entertainment platforms. This being said, myths will repeatedly be apart of modern society within popular culture.

References:

Heaney, S. (1999). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin.

Hurst, M. (Director) (1998). Somewhere over the rainbow bridge [Television series episode]. In Raimi, S. (Executive Producer), Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Chicago: WGN.

Lee, S. (1966). Thor.

Russell, C. (Director). (1994). The Mask [Motion picture]. USA: Turner Home Entertainment.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). The Hobbit. New York: Ballantine Books.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The lord of the rings. London, England: George Allen & Unwin.

1. What genres do the following texts belong to?

(Does anyone know how to get the blog to not have a black background?)

1. What genres do the following texts belong to?

Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

Voluspa

Mythology is defined as a body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes. Poetry could be defined as literature written in verse.

Voluspa’s genre is a mythological Old Norse poem.

In Voluspa, Volva tells Othin, chief of the gods, of the creation of the world, of the origins of dwarves, and of the the first man and woman. She then goes on to tell of what is to come, the fate of the gods in the final battle.

Stanza 3. tells of a ‘a yawning gap,’ or in the critical reader translation, line 1 -  ‘Nothing was there when time began.’ A place where there is no heaven or earth etc. The creation of the world is found in Stanza 4, when the sons of Burr (Othin (Odin), Vili, and Ve) lift the land, and the Æsir (deities) then established order in the cosmos by finding places for the sun, the moon and the stars, thereby starting the cycle of day and night. 

The creation of man is told in stanza 17 (not included in our extracts) -

‘17. Then from the throng | did three come forth,

From the home of the gods, | the mighty and gracious;

Two without fate | on the land they found,

Ask and Embla, | empty of might’

Othin, Hönir and Lothur, (deities) create a man and woman.
 

Hœnir in an illustration from a 17th century Icelandic manuscript.

Deities are mentioned all throughout the Nordic poem. Stanza 1, line 1 ‘Hear my words, you holy gods.’ The poem is addressed to a god - Odin. Other gods mentioned include Loki (extract 2) and Thor (extract 3). As well as the gods above that helped Odin create mankind.

This ancient work tells of both the creation of mankind, and earth, and it tells of deities, therefore Voluspa is of the mythical genre. It is written in stanzas or verses, therefore it could also be defined as a poem.

References

Bellows, H. (1963). The poetic edda, volume I. Retrieved, March 14, 2013, from http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm

Terry, P. (Trans). (1990, 1996). Poems of the elder edda. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press

Mythology. (2009). Retrieved, March 14, 2013 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mythology

2.     What are some possible features of residual orality (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances? 

In the first lines of Voluspa, the speaker says, “I’ll speak the ancient lore/ the oldest of all that I remember” (3-4), signifying that there is a deeply rooted oral tradition that still stands within the text. This line shows that the poem and author want to preserve these ancient traditions.

The poem reads like a story is being spoken, as if telling it to an audience, "I remember giants of ages past" (5). The fact that the author starts the first two stanzas in the first person also adds to the oral aspect, as if it is an introduction that is meant to be spoken and not written. It also makes these stanzas stand out from the rest of the poem because it switches point of view. As Ong said, "orality is 'evanescent' not permanent", the first two stanzas in its story-like form is an example of non-permanence compared to the rest of the poem which switches to third person and then it starts the story.  

Weeks 1-3

1. What genres do the following texts belong to?

Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

Give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).

2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?

3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to site from the original texts).

4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.

5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).

6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?

7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ?

8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer).