Myth

MYTH
Here you will enter information regarding the term "Myth"

__Definition:__

Barthes says myths are:
 * the dominant ideologies of our time / the "big picture"
 * Myth is the result of the combination of denotation and connotation
 * Transform history into nature, "things appear to mean something by themselves" (Myth serves to naturalize- //naturalization//)


 * Can be seen as extended metaphors. They help us make sense of our experiences within a culture.
 * Reflect major culturally-variable concepts underpinning a particular worldview (i.e.: masculinity, femininity, freedom, individualism, objectivism, etc.)

__Theorists:__

Main Theorist associated with myth is Roland Barthes; he believed that:
 * The themes of humanity's earliest stories, known as myths, continue to permeate and informe pop culture's story-telling efforts.
 * Implicit narratives are embedded regarly in the texts that out mediated culture produces for mass consumption. ie, this is why people don't question the authority of ads, commercials and other mediated projects, becasue they have inrincis validity.
 * The reason for that is becasue they continue the oldest and most meaningful tradion of all, that is the telling of basic mythic stories about human actions and motivations.

__Examples:__ Barthes demonstrates this theory of the myth with the example of a front cover from //Paris Match,// showing a young black soldier in French uniform saluting The //signifier//: a saluting soldier, was chosen purposely to show more than just a boy. When combined with the //signifieds// of Frenchness, militariness, and ethnic diversity, this gives us a message about the French Empire and its citizens. The picture does not explicitly say 'that France is a great empire, and that all citizens, without any colour discrimination, faithfully serve under this country,', but the combination of the signifier and signified implies the myth of **__IMPERIAL DEVOTION.__** Therefore, myths are created purposely to enforce certain ideologies, usually from those who have power, like the ruling class, government or the media. Furthermore, they are usually communicated in an implicit way, such as with the combination of signs, as demonstrated with this example. This allows for myths to become naturalized in society, making people believe that these ideologies, which were really created by others, are true, and were always part of nature and the world we live in. Other examples of myth include the "I Love Lucy" episode vs "The Cosby Show" episode, which show that ideologies in society can change drastically over time, which is evident that they were created through myth.

__Other relevant information:__