Myths and Metanarratives

Myth (dictionary definition): a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or natural explanation, esp. one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.

Ideas associated with the myth:

• fantasy
• nature/nurture
• realism
• hyper reality
• legends
• morals
• provides you with a stereotype
• literally involves the person but is a metaphor

Metanarrative (dictionary definition): in postmodernist literary theory - a narrative about a narrative or narratives. Meta meaning 'after' or 'beyond'.

Metanarratives can belong to individual characters as well as the plot as a whole. Many metanarratives can be used at the same time to create a background story that the audience is led to believe...the myth. Dominant discourses suggested by the metanarrative are linked by myths to form stereotypes. Metanarratives are very closely related to allegories, meaning one story told through another, the 'Star Wars' films are very good examples of this where by it is thought that WW2 is being re-told through the characters and plot. The American TV sc-fi drama series 'Lost' is riddled with metanarratives and mythological elements, such as the monster that roams the island. Even in the first episode, the main character 'Jack' is seen stumbling through the rain forest of the desert island holding his ribs as co-character 'Kate' walks into the shot - this scene has the metanarrative of the biblical story of Genesis when Adam is in the Garden of Eden where Eve is created from one of his ribs. Although the story of Genesis is not even verbally referred to in the series through the script, it is shown through physical connotations to the audience, making it a mythological metanarrative instead of a storyline in the plot.

Joseph Cambell, American mythologist, writer and lecturer, had a huge influence on the world of media and in particular the film industry. In his book 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces' (first released in 1949), Cambell explores the archetypal hero found in mythologies. This book heavily influenced George Lucas who was the first Hollywood film maker to publicly credit Cambell's work. After Lucas released 'Star Wars' in 1977, he announced that the storyline was partially based on Cambell's works. The character 'Luke Skywalker' was can easily be compared to the archetypal hero Cambell discusses in his books and this linkage was proven somewhat by re-prints of 'The Hero...' using the image of 'Luke Skywalker' on the cover. Maybe without the influence of Cambell, the mythological metanarratives would not be understood or even used as thoroughly as they are today in the film industry.