Intertextuality, the term defining the relationship and the similarity of a newly-produced text with previous ones, has provided a broad array of subjects to be studied especially in social sciences. Firstly, literary works have been analyzed within the framework of intertextuality, and striking similarities have been found among literary texts.…

In a thematic study she calls The Hero's Journey, the author introduces the classical archetype of the hero and the journey of the hero with Homer's "The Odyssey." After all, the wily tactician dreams up the idea for the wooden horse trick, thereby winning the war for the Greeks. He visits hell and, against all odds, makes it back. He defeats the…

This article analyses the symbolic meaning of the Moon in two "bande dessinee" books from the Tintin series, Herge's "Destination Moon" ("Objectif Lune," 1953) and its sequel "Explorers on the Moon" ("On a Marche sur la Lune," 1954). It argues that these two volumes stand out in the series for their graphic, narrative and philosophical emphasis on…

Questions the integrity of Meursault in Albert Camus's "The Stranger." Discusses Meursault's dissociation from his feelings, relationship with his mother, reactions or lack of response to events in his life, trial, and encounter with the priest in prison. Explores the concepts of myth and archetype in terms of the novel and its ideology.…

A brief reading of "Desire under the Elms" by Eugene O'Neill illustrates how a conventional Oedipal reading of the playscript opens up spaces within the text for deconstructive free-play. In this case, a tension is identified and foregrounded between this conventional application of the Oedipal complex and Freud's interpretation of the…

Examines how the heroine's process of growth and survival in "Z for Zachariah" is played out against the background of a Biblical collage that imbues her struggle with mythic significance. (HOD)

In terms of structure, the play "Othello" is a distortion of an initiation ritual. Arnold van Gennup, in his book "The Rites of Passage," reduces all initiation rituals into three definable phases: separation, transition, and incorporation. The general pattern of the initiation ritual in "Othello" is as follows:…

Examines trends and forms of myth and fantasy in children's literature during the past decade. (HOD)

Describes a number of techniques employed by the Greek mythographers in the reconstruction of ancient myths to appear as if the male Olympian deities and the patriarchal social order that they modeled were both of vast antiquity, even autochthonic. (HOD)

A paper presented at annual convention of Canadian Council of Teachers of English (2nd, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, August 1969). (RD)

Notes that J.R.R. Tolkien's work is commonly supposed to be greatly influenced by Norse mythology and legend. Compares Tolkien's account of the creation of Middle Earth to the Norse myth of Yggdrasil. Concludes that Tolkien took qualities of language, a code of bravery and honor, and many incidental Norse details and absorbed them into a very…

Explores the Jungian, mythological, and theological dimensions of L'Engle's fantasy books. (HOD)