THE BIRTH OF THE GODDESS
Marble relief, Rome (Greek style), V century B.C.E.
In Search of Cupid and Psyche: Myth and Legend in Children's Literature
THE BIRTH OF THE GODDESS
Marble relief, Rome (Greek style), V century B.C.E.
For the nineteenth century section of this course, students are required to read and analyze Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, for its mythic content. Discussion questions will center upon the relationship of the plot of Alice to "Cupid and Psyche" and its "ground" myths (i.e., the marriage to a monster myth, the questing heroine myth, death and resurrection of the heroine myth), as well as the likenesses of Alice and the characters she meets to Psyche and the other characters, both visible and invisible, of her world. Students must demonstrate a degree of understanding also of how Eliade's notion of mythic time empowers Carroll's valorization of childhood. As always, students are also encouraged to extend their readings beyond the assigned reading.
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, a vanilla copy of the text, appropriated from The Gutenberg Project, with links to other relevant Alice material for this Chapter of our class. But see the other more exciting Alice sites on the Web--some of which are listed below.
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, with commentary by various members of The Sabian Assembly, self-described as "an arcane discipline and special-studies group offering lessons in philosophy, Bible, whole-person astrology and the new cabala, as well as spiritual fellowship."
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. This is a blank screen that grunts repeatedly at you until you surf away. Really.