User:Erhernandez/sandbox: Difference between revisions

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in a society dominated by that particular myth. Subsequently, a myth is much more than ''only'' a narrative, but can be considered to be “a source of power.” This power is derived from the fact that a myth shows its readers “how to appropriate and control the forces that order the world”.{{sfn|Slotkin|1965|p=7}} In this view, myths offer a guide to success.

In what Slotkin calls the primary stage of myth, the “mythopoeic state of consciousness” predominates. This means that both mythmaker and audience are very susceptible to a new myth. In this stage a certain fixity of form takes hold in society.

In the secondary or romantic stage of myth, the emphasis is on “the fulfilment

of the obligations established for the myth”.{{sfn|Slotkin|1965|p=13}} This means that the people became aware of the specific set of rules outlined by the myth-artist, and try to live life accordingly.

The third and final stage is called the consumatory stage of myth. In this stage, the major thinkers in society become aware of the corruption that flowed from the romantic stage. The original faiths and values that were constructed in the primary stage were perverted to such an extent that the myth is no longer supportive to the nation and the nation’s people. The mythmaking artist is the first to become aware of this degeneration. He is blessed with a strong sense of critical awareness and senses the need for a new myth. “In a conscious attempt to recapture the lost innocence of the mythopoeic attitude, [he] tries to assume the role of a prophet in society.” As a visionary, he reaches out to people and tries to make them susceptible to his new vision. The artist’s prophecy is based on his new hypothetical “construction of symbols and values, derived from real and imaginary experience and ordered by the imagination according to the deepest needs of the psyche”.{{sfn|Slotkin|1965|p=13}} Mailer’s work on the “American identity” is situated in this final stage of the development of American mythology, not only because of the apparent reaction to a degenerated myth frozen in the romantic stage, but also because of the prophecy of a new, consumatory myth.

The myth Mailer is concerned with is one of the strongest surviving myths in American society: the American Dream. According to Slotkin, the American Dream equals “the conception of America as a wide-open land of unlimited opportunity for the strong, ambitious, self-reliant individual to thrust his way to the top”.{{sfn|Slotkin|1965|p=5}} In this view, anyone can climb the ladder of success by hard work and just a bit of luck. However, the reality of everyday life often contradicts this perpetual idee-fixe—and wealth is often accom-

===Citations===

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 {{pg|361|362}}
+in a society dominated by that particular myth. Subsequently, a myth is much more than ''only'' a narrative, but can be considered to be “a source of power.” This power is derived from the fact that a myth shows its readers “how to appropriate and control the forces that order the world”.{{sfn|Slotkin|1965|p=7}} In this view, myths offer a guide to success.
+In what Slotkin calls the primary stage of myth, the “mythopoeic state of consciousness” predominates. This means that both mythmaker and audience are very susceptible to a new myth. In this stage a certain fixity of form takes hold in society.
+In the secondary or romantic stage of myth, the emphasis is on “the fulfilment
+of the obligations established for the myth”.{{sfn|Slotkin|1965|p=13}} This means that the people became aware of the specific set of rules outlined by the myth-artist, and try to live life accordingly.
+The third and final stage is called the consumatory stage of myth. In this stage, the major thinkers in society become aware of the corruption that flowed from the romantic stage. The original faiths and values that were constructed in the primary stage were perverted to such an extent that the myth is no longer supportive to the nation and the nation’s people. The mythmaking artist is the first to become aware of this degeneration. He is blessed with a strong sense of critical awareness and senses the need for a new myth. “In a conscious attempt to recapture the lost innocence of the mythopoeic attitude, [he] tries to assume the role of a prophet in society.” As a visionary, he reaches out to people and tries to make them susceptible to his new vision. The artist’s prophecy is based on his new hypothetical “construction of symbols and values, derived from real and imaginary experience and ordered by the imagination according to the deepest needs of the psyche”.{{sfn|Slotkin|1965|p=13}} Mailer’s work on the “American identity” is situated in this final stage of the development of American mythology, not only because of the apparent reaction to a degenerated myth frozen in the romantic stage, but also because of the prophecy of a new, consumatory myth.
+The myth Mailer is concerned with is one of the strongest surviving myths in American society: the American Dream. According to Slotkin, the American Dream equals “the conception of America as a wide-open land of unlimited opportunity for the strong, ambitious, self-reliant individual to thrust his way to the top”.{{sfn|Slotkin|1965|p=5}} In this view, anyone can climb the ladder of success by hard work and just a bit of luck. However, the reality of everyday life often contradicts this perpetual idee-fixe—and wealth is often accom-
+{{pg|362|363}}
 ===Citations===