Page 235 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 9

Oedipus was an archaic Greek tale, which in Homer’s narration took on
the proportions of a myth and through the pen of Sophocles became the
myth of the hero who seeks his own reality, a pursuit which in our day is
known as the search for identity. The man who cries, ‘I must find out who
I am!’ as does Oedipus, and then revolts against his own reality, stands
not only for the Greeks but for all of us in our ambivalent struggle to find
our identity. Hence Freud uses the myth of Oedipus as central in his con-
temporaneous psychology. Like most of the ancient Hebrew and Greek
myths, this narration of the triangular struggle in the family becomes true
in different ways for people of all cultures, since everyone is born of a
father and mother and must in some way revolt against them—which is
the definition of a classic like Oedipus. 10

Because myths tap into collective human experience, watching this
genre enables audience members of all ages to re-experience their own
adolescence, including such experiences as rebellion against authority,
rejection, and the general angst associated with this stage of life.
Although classic myths traditionally focus on men, contemporary
genres now feature women as well. For instance, Whale Rider (2002)
is a film that tells the story of a young girl’s quest to be accepted as the
new chief of a patriarchal tribe in New Zealand. (For further discussion
of the youth genre, see Chapter 4.)

Mythic Premise

In some genres, the premise of its programs is rooted in myth. For in-
stance, the action/adventure video game Shadow of the Colossus (Sony)
relies upon a mythic premise. Charles Herold explains:

Shadow begins as a man rides into a temple on horseback and lays a dead
woman on an altar. He asks the spirit of the temple to bring the woman
back to life, and the spirit agrees on one condition: the man must first kill
the 16 colossi that live nearby. 11

Mythic Themes

A theme is an abstract concept or observation that is manifested through
the actions of the plot. Mythic themes raise issues pertaining to the hu-
man condition, as well as human beings’ relationship to the universe.
Mythic scholar Joseph Campbell explains, “Themes that have supported

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