The Power Of Myth Debuted On Pbs - 2126 Words

In 1988 Bill Moyers THE POWER OF MYTH debuted on PBS. This six-part series of conversations with renowned scholar Joseph Campbell explored the enduring, universal themes expressed in mankind s oldest stories and examined their relevance for the modern world. Far from being lifeless, timeworn tales, Campbell told viewers, the ancient myths remain clues to the spiritual potentialities of human life. Eighteen years later, with FAITH REASON, Moyers and his guests continue to mine those potentialities, turning a fresh eye to the illuminative and transformative power of myths, biblical tales, and other literature of faith. Contemporary writers owe a great deal to the fecundity of such stories, not only as treasure troves of plot and†¦show more content†¦Still, many fiction writers will tell you, man is rarely a reasonable creature. He is complicated. He is consumed by irrational passions and uncontrollable urges, as well as by reason and logic. He is weak one moment and strong the next. He can be confused, villainous, heroic and kind at once. And it is in our ancient myths that many writers find the core of the human struggle to make sense of the world and to find one s role — in short, a roadmap to the human psyche. Margaret Atwood: Myths lay out pretty clearly what is on the human smorgasbord: what we want, what we fear, what we would like to have, what we would very much not like to have. Those human fears and human desires really have not changed, and they re reflected in the myths that have been with us for a long time. Anne Provoost: Through mythology we are trying to define ourselves as humans next to this big concept-call it God-that we don t understand. The thunder, the lightening, the floods, the fires. We are, through history, bringing ourselves more and more to the foreground. So mythology is really about finding your own spot in your perception next to the gods. Jeanette Winterson: I look [at myths] to arrive at truth about the human condition, about myself, about how people live and die, about how they betray, about how they have sex, children, how they love their country, love others. You know, when youShow MoreRelatedThe Representation of Women, Men, and Sexuality in Music Videos9715 Words   |  39 Pageswithout knowing its video to knowing both the song and the video. MEDIA EDUCATION FOUNDATION | www.MEDIAED.org This study guide may be reproduced for educational, non-profit uses only. 4  © 2007 INTRODUCTION (3:40) KEY POINTS * Since MTV debuted in 1981 music videos have become a central part of our popular culture. They are now found on multiple television channels, in many different media, and across most genres of music. The images and stylistic conventions of music video have influenced