I am sorry that the link didn't work from yesterday. Here it is: Owain and the Lady of the Fountain
We probably won't have time to look at Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. So please disregard any reference to it in the schedule and instead focus on the above reading which is probably the best so far on this subject. Please be aware that your final projects are due this weekend. I will have your grades finished by Monday and posted for you to see. Tomorrow we will discuss Owain and then on Friday we'll discuss your movie picks.
I'm really glad to see that things are coming together and making sense for people. The comments posted from yesterday were really good and show that you are grasping the importance of this to myth.
In order to be able to bring a change in consciousness and return to the masses with it, it is often necessary to overcome your desire. Desire usually takes the shape of worldy things such as money, sex, power, food, whatever. When is the last time you saw a fat Buddhist monk? The hero can enjoy worldy things but not to the exclusion of his main purpose. Bilbo Baggins (before his adventure) was a great example of a selfish fool. He would rather indulge his desires, food, smoking, sleep, than anything else. It was not until he was forced out of Hobbiton, and faced some trials that he became someone who really understood, charity, compassion, courage, etc. By the end of the novel he turned a 180 into a self actualized human being, from the infantile figure he was.
So yes, Adam taking the apple from Eve and eating amounted to Adam's choice to live with woman and all she stands for. Earthly temptation was to great for Adam and so mankind was consigned to the earth and be a part of it forever. This explains why we must submit ourselves to the indignity of death while still enjoying the pleasures of sex and love. So the real choice made was Adam's; Eve was and is a representative of life. Adam chose knowledge of the world over spiritual bliss and ignorance.
Sorry again about the broken link.
The story of Owain is filled with alot of adventure. Owain is very deceptive at times but turns around and becomes the hero in the end.Lunes is the goddess in the essay. She doesn't just tempt him with herself but she cares for him also. Owain does do the noble thing and rescues her but does do it still in his deceitful way without exposing himself as the runaway Owain. The story is somewhat confusing because of the different places Owain travels to. I found it challenging reading because of the use of old English and large amount of descriptive words. Although this fits the hero mode it has a weird twist because Owains a bit of a scoundrel. I picture him like Jack Sparrow on the Pirates of the Carriban, a hero in the end but kind of misguided.
ReplyDeleteI could not have placed Owain better myself Anna, I myself was looking for someone in modern pop culture to compare him to. I never thought of Jack Sparrow. I loved the story however, I like when a hero is depicted as having a bit of a playful, mischevious side rather than being innocent, high and mighty. I think it makes for a better read. As for the text being in old english, I definitely had no problem trying to read through it. I have had plenty experience with old english and shakesperian text that it wasn't too difficult for me to understand.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anna that the story of Owain is full of adventure, and it definitely was difficult to read and comprehend. Looking at it from Anna's perspective makes it easier to understand, comparing Owain to a character known in modern society, such as Jack Sparrow. Doing so reminds me of how Campbell compares heros in his monomyth to characters from Star wars, lord of the rings and even Sherlock Holmes. Making these comparisons makes for a better and more enjoyable read!
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