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updated 9-03-03
Chapter 1: The Nature of Myth
pages
1-14
30 points possible
1. (5) How does your dictionary define the word "myth"?
2. (5) Why didn't the Greeks write down their myths sooner?
3. (5) What do you think happens to stories when they are told over
and over without being written down?
4. (10) Complete the table below to show how myths are like and
not like other kinds of stories. Remember that in any myth, at least one
element--character, time, or place--will exist outside ordinary human
experience.
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Myths
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Other kinds of stories
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Purposes
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enjoyment; pass cultural, social, and personal values;
explain the way the world works
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Structure (Plot)
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beginning (situation), middle (complication), and end
(denouement or resolution)
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Characters
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usually real people in ordinary situations
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Setting
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usually real times and real places
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5. (5) How do we know whether a myth is a divine myth, a legend, or a
folktale?
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