Today is the first day that I have just scanned through Retellings leisurely. I find the concept of the text book to be extremely interesting. Given the many different mediums of communication which we have today almost ALL stories, myths and fairy tales are retellings of another societies same stories, myths and fairy tales. In this way, the text book is applicable to many fields outside of literature. As it stands, I am majoring in anthropology (no idea which branch yet) and through a historical anthropological standpoint this text book looks as though it has the potential to be fascinating. Different versions of the same stories resonate throughout human history and can still be found within every aspect of our existence.
We are living in a generation where it is very rare indeed if something is unique in and of itself. Everything from the entertainment we indulge in to the food we eat is some form of a “retelling.”
If you go to the movies, chances are the plot of the movie you are seeing is not the first of its kind: alien abduction, romantic comedy, historical piece, mystery
If you read a book, chances are its foundation can be found in other books and documents throughout history
If you listen to a song or buy a new album, chances are it has elements of another artists music, and that artist resembled another before him, so on and so forth ( although music today is undeniably horrible and up until the late nineties I would classify the majority of music as progressive and for the most part, somewhat decent)
When a specific lens is applied to a story we find that it is more than easy to compare to that of another. The only change to be found within many texts revolves around one specific variable, such as a main character, or the final destination of the story. The question remains, did such similar stories arise separately as a necessary form of expression, or were the stolen from one culture and passed on to another?
If so many similar stories, grounded in fear, hope and an assortment of virtues, developed in such a wide array of separate cultures over a long period of time then that is evidence that there is something common within all human beings; something innate within human nature that makes us crave not only examples to live by but something to live for. On the other hand, if these stories were passed on or “stolen” throughout history then it stands to reason that all human beings are very different and our acceptance of such a wide variety of stories and virtues serves as nothing more than an example of the advanced mediums of communication which exist today.
The most interesting part of a “retelling” of a story is that for whatever reason, no matter how many times the story is told it never seems to lose its meaning. For example, in the Christian religion, the story of Jesus Christ’s life is the exact same as the story Horus’s life, an Egyptian God. The story of Horus was being told hundreds of years before the supposed date for the birth of Christ. Horus was born of a virgin mother, with a Shepard as a father, who did not impregnate the mother, spent his life as a prophet, had disciples, died on the cross, and was resurrected 3 days later etc…The same story has been told time and time again throughout history.
Written word and archeological illustrations are two of the most reliable sources of information when looking at the mystery of humanity, and I hope to learn a lot from this text book.
We are living in a generation where it is very rare indeed if something is unique in and of itself. Everything from the entertainment we indulge in to the food we eat is some form of a “retelling.”
If you go to the movies, chances are the plot of the movie you are seeing is not the first of its kind: alien abduction, romantic comedy, historical piece, mystery
If you read a book, chances are its foundation can be found in other books and documents throughout history
If you listen to a song or buy a new album, chances are it has elements of another artists music, and that artist resembled another before him, so on and so forth ( although music today is undeniably horrible and up until the late nineties I would classify the majority of music as progressive and for the most part, somewhat decent)
When a specific lens is applied to a story we find that it is more than easy to compare to that of another. The only change to be found within many texts revolves around one specific variable, such as a main character, or the final destination of the story. The question remains, did such similar stories arise separately as a necessary form of expression, or were the stolen from one culture and passed on to another?
If so many similar stories, grounded in fear, hope and an assortment of virtues, developed in such a wide array of separate cultures over a long period of time then that is evidence that there is something common within all human beings; something innate within human nature that makes us crave not only examples to live by but something to live for. On the other hand, if these stories were passed on or “stolen” throughout history then it stands to reason that all human beings are very different and our acceptance of such a wide variety of stories and virtues serves as nothing more than an example of the advanced mediums of communication which exist today.
The most interesting part of a “retelling” of a story is that for whatever reason, no matter how many times the story is told it never seems to lose its meaning. For example, in the Christian religion, the story of Jesus Christ’s life is the exact same as the story Horus’s life, an Egyptian God. The story of Horus was being told hundreds of years before the supposed date for the birth of Christ. Horus was born of a virgin mother, with a Shepard as a father, who did not impregnate the mother, spent his life as a prophet, had disciples, died on the cross, and was resurrected 3 days later etc…The same story has been told time and time again throughout history.
Written word and archeological illustrations are two of the most reliable sources of information when looking at the mystery of humanity, and I hope to learn a lot from this text book.
ps. check out this link slash movie the first third of it has a lot to do with retellings throughout religious history: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-594683847743189197&ei=kyVeS--QLKH-qAOX9sixAQ&q=zeitgeist&hl=en#
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