The Wild Man in Myth and Folklore

Many of our discussions this semester will aim to cover three kinds of knowledge at once:

First, the actual content of the works we encounter, which are organized according to major themes in the history of Western ideas about indigenous peoples - for example, the contrast of nature and the wild, or of moral and restricted behavior vs. ungoverned, immoral or amoral lawlessness. This should allow us to analyze and interpret material in relation to critical themes in culture.

Second, the historical context, such as the ancient Hebrew world that gave rise to the Hebrew Bible. This helps us understand the historical and cultural institutions of the productions of culture--for example, the relation of European colonialism to The Tempest or Heart of Darkness.

Third, the critical and interpretive methods we use to understand texts, artworks, customs, etc.--whether they survive from cultures of the past, exist in other parts of the world, or are characteristic of the society in which we live. In other words, we may use the same methods to study Greek mythology as the Harry Potter books--the differences depend largely on our relative knowledge of the language, cultural allusions, and belief systems we need to know to understand each example. This reminds us to consider the differences between cultural systems--between myths and law codes, philosophy and literature, plays and novels, and so on, as we form hypotheses about their interpretation. It also encourages us to aim for interpretations that are both illuminating and well-grounded in logic and fair-mindedness.


This week we'll discuss three works that may be called folklore or perhaps myth. Although they appear in literary forms, each represents a story that has been told in many, many other versions. A large part of the interest in myth and folklore is in exploring why a story is so widely told. How did it achieve the cultural authority it has? Why did this story survive the centuries?

Our study involves the three dimensions stated above:
1. What do these Wild Man stories tell us about some of the themes in popular Western depictions of "savage" peoples? What are the most important actions and characteristics attributed to savages?
2. What do we know about the Greek culture that gave rise to Homer, the Sumerian civilization that fostered the heroic myth of Gilgamesh, and the cultural world of fairy tales?
3. What do we need to know about myth and folklore as a mode of narration to understand stories like these? What does the consideration of narrative tell us about how cultures communicate ideas, and even settle issues of power and authority?