My professor went over my rough draft, and she absolutely loved the introduction? I'm all written out.
The theme of heroism gained prominence in the early twentieth century as thinkers and philosophers systematically analyzed hero myths at a cross-cultural level for the first time. Lord Raglans schema, published in the mid-1930s, focused on the sacred hero-king of prehistoric religious ritual and used Oedipus as his archetype. In his comparative study of myths, Raglan found that the parallels are too great to be simply coincidental and that the very idea that the hero of tradition can be divided into a series of well-marked features and incidents [] suggests a ritual pattern (Raglan 148). Like Raglan, Freud used Oedipus in the development of his theories. The disciples of Freud heavily influenced the studies of the hero-myth. German psychologist Otto Rank published The Myth of the Birth of the Hero in 1906, wherein he argued that the similarity of the heroes in myths emanate from universal traits of the human psyche. Psychologist Carl Jung took a similar approach. Jung employed nineteenth century German anthropologist Adolph Bastians theory that myths from all corners of the world are composed of the same elementary ideas (Campbell 6, Thou Art Thou), and he renamed these ideas archetypes (Jung 54). Joseph Campbell, perhaps the most influential philosopher in the field of mythology, took the idea of archetypes and used it to plot the common fundamental structure behind religion and myth. In his landmark book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell presents representative cross-cultural examples of stories throughout the ages that support his theory. Campbell argues that all stories are fundamentally the same story, and he named this story the Heros Journey, or the monomyth.
Oh, and I think my name... will stay this way for now. I registered for classes the other day, and a girl standing in front of me had a Kerry button on her bag. I complimented her button and showed her that our buttons matched. She told me that she's never taking her button off, and you know what? I feel the same way. I mentioned to her that my mother had said precisely the same thing, and she said her mother feels the same way. Yeah. So the button stays on. The name stays the same. I'll change it once both houses have a Democratic majority.
Oh, and I'll tell you what I'm taking next spring since I brought up registering for classes. I only need to take three classes next semester, but I'm taking four. I would've liked to take another art history class in addition to the four I'm signed up for at this moment, but I have a sweet internship with social services. It pays little, but it's satisfying work. Also, it will help me get into grad school. I think I'll continue volunteering or working in some capacity with them for a year before I actually apply. But, hey. Here's what I'll be doing next Spring:
- English 319: Shakespeare. With Dr. Clasby, who I hear is AWESOME and swears a lot. My friend said that HER friend said once, "Omg, he said 'cock'!" I need a professor who will say the word "cock" during my final semester at UM. Also, I needed a lit course from this era for my English major.
- Sociology 359: Sociology of Human Sexuality. I know nothing about the course or the professor. I hope it doesn't suck.
- Psychology 201: Social Psychology: Psychological Perspective. I needed a 200-level psych course for my psych major.
- Psychology 440: Abnormal Child Psychology. Delinquent behavior was among the listed topics for the course, and I'm interested in juvenile delinquency. Also, I needed another 400-level course for my psychology major.
I'm also doing that internship, but it's not for college credit. It's really hard to get internships for college credit because the people guarding UM's coffers get their knickers in knots over potential on-site accidents or something. I don't care. I want and need the experience.
the last time he came up was when, for some reason, we were having lunch in a seminar class at Bard and the professor was talking about elements of tragedy WITH TURKEY IN HIS MOUTH. also: i hate mayo.