Olivia Strittmatter - myth is not less than history

April 1, 2020

In class reading 1

On pages 236 and 237 from The Symbolism of Evil by Paul Ricoeur in 1967, he says that my is not ””something less than history” but has “more meaning than a true history.”” I liked how he said that because it shows how people from written cultures view myths, but then explains that the story and message that the myth sends is more important to the culture than actual history. I was thinking about why myths are intended to send a message, rather than tell historical stories; and I think that it’s because the messages in myths are meant to explore ideas about existence and morality, while historical stories are meant to explain events in time. Another quote by Ricoeur on the same pages says that ”the symbol gives rise to thought.” Which I think goes really well with the idea that myths are multifaceted and have multiple layers, because the many facets and layers are meant to make the person think about the meanings, and can have a big impact on their lives because of that.

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