This document summarizes different approaches to analyzing myths. It discusses the perspectives of functionalism, Freudian interpretation, structuralism, and the relationship between myths and rituals. Functionalists like Malinowski view myths as legitimizing cultural norms, while structuralists like Levi-Strauss see myths expressing universal patterns. Freud interpreted myths as the dreams of an entire culture. The document also explains that Durkheim and Harrison saw myths and rituals as intrinsically connected, with myths providing explanations for strange ritual behaviors.

2. Tools for Reading Myths
-Peter Struck
Prepared by
Vaidehi Hariyani
(Research Scholar)
Department of English,MKBU
18th September 2018
PhD Coursework Exam

3. Peter Struck
• Associate Professor -Classical
Studies.
• Instructor in an Online Course
“Greek and Roman Mythology”.
• Created by University of
Pennsylvania.

4. Functionalism
Freud
Interpretation of
Dream
Myths and Rituals
Structuralism

5. • Bronisaw Malinowski (1884 to 1942)
• Delight and entertain us or to give us
the versions or teach us about the
sort of universal structure of the
Cosmos.
• Reassure us that our cultural norms
and our social values are the right
ones.
• So myths serve the function of
legitimatizing.

6. For example:-

7. • Claude Levi-Strauss (1908
to 2009)
• Binary Opposition
• Absence of Something
• Human beings tend to
put the same pairs in
opposition from culture
to culture to culture.

8. For example

9. Freud – Interpretation of Dreams
• Sigmund Freud (1856 to 1939).
• The Interpretation of Dreams -1900.
• Example of doctor
• Myths are the dreams of an entire culture.
• Each of us is engaged always in a process of myth-making through our
dreams, and our cultures are, in a way, dreaming as they write their
myths.

10. For example

11. Myths and Rituals
• Emil Durkheim (1858 to 1917) and Jane Harrison (1850 to 1928).
• Collective Effervescence
• Myths and rituals are intimately tied.
• Why do we do this? And when someone steps back and ask that question,
That's when myth rushes in.
• When we see those connections the myth and ritual says, yes, that's
indeed how myths work.
• They're there as the soundtrack for ritual behaviors, strange ritual
behaviors that provoke people trying to invent explanations of them.
• And when they do, they tell stories, and these stories are what you and I
call myth.

12. For example

13. Recap
• Structuralists think they contain hidden messages about the structure
of the human mind.
• Functionalists think that they contain messages about the values that
a culture wants to legitimize to itself.
• Freud thinks that hidden messages inside a myth are always going to
be about just you and me as individuals, developing, working our way
through a developing, the developing of our psychological state.
• Rituals brings Myths into existence.

14. Works Cited:-
• Struck, Peter. Greek and Roman Mythology. Web. University of
Pennsylvania, n.d. 2018. Web
Vaidehi09hariyani@gmail.com

15. Thank you