A true myth

I heave a sigh of relief. I was planning to charge ahead with my thesis writing. But felt inspired to catch up on my reading. I actually have books lying on my shelf that I have accumulated and have not had the time to read. Look at what I stumbled upon!

"This is a book of history, but it is a particular kind of history: mythical history or, putting it more precisely, this history of a myth. I use the term myth reluctantly, since in popular usage it usually means a falsehood or a fairy tale. This is not what I mean by it. A myth, as I understand it, is a kind of map, a schematic depiction of what is "out there" - a reality which, because of its infinite complexity, would not otherwise be accessible. Can a map depict every feature of the countryside, every rock and rill, every small mound and depression? No, nor should it. A map is meant to serve the practical end of getting from here to there. If a map attempted to reproduce the whole "booming, buzzing confusion" of reality, it would negate its purpose; we would be lost in a wilderness. Applied to the history of a people, then, a myth is a story, which by telling about a people's origins gives meaning to their present situation and illuminates a path to the future. In telling this story it highlight certain historical events, gives others less prominence, and omits some altogether as irrelevant. In other words, editorial judgments are made in the telling of the story. The judgments may be disputed or criticized, but they have to be made; the alternative is chaos, incoherence.

This does not mean that all myths are equal. There are true myths and false myths. A false myth is a rigid, reductionist model with no pores or openings to allow in data that could risk jeopardizing the story. Propaganda is of this type. It depicts the enemy as wholly monstrous and "our" behavior as embodying only the noblest and highest ideals. Propaganda may have its uses in wartime, but if it gets taken seriously by a people it becomes a dangerous delusion. What, then, is a true myth? This is less easy to define because we are dealing here not with some single quiddity but with degrees of openness and balance. We can hazard this much: a true myth is a schema with enough complexity and "thickness" to accommodate a very broad range of facts, including ugly facts. A true mythical narrative "saves the appearances" by showing how the bad deeds of the people, not just the good, fit into the story." (McKenna, 2007, pp. 13-14)

I think this fits in well with the writing of a qualitative piece. :)

McKenna, G. (2007). The puritan origins of American patriotism. New Haven & London: Yale University Press.