Is Hollywood the custodian of our cultural unconscious? "Custodian" may assume a tad more influence than is due but obviously Hollywood shapes our collective psyche. Example: popular and self-image of women...but don't get me started! On Fri, 14 Mar 1997, JULIANN E JENKINS wrote: > On Fri, 14 Mar 1997 09:15:46 -0600 "Steven Mintz, U. Houston" > <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Inspired in part by our on-going discussion > "why students hate > > westerns," I have reread Richard Slotkin's three-part > > study of the creation, dissemination, and functions of the American > > myth of the frontier from the 17th century to the 1980s. > > Slotkin presents a provocative analysis of the nature of myth in > > modern society, and Hollywood's role in defining and spreading > > these myths. I would be very interested in your comments > > and reactions. > > > > If I might simplify his intricate argument, myths, in his view, > > carry a heavy charge of symbolic meaning and resonance. > > While rooted in historical "realities," myths outlive the material > > conditions that produce them and serve as primary organizing principles > > of our historical memory. Over time and through constant repetition, > > these myths become part of our common language and serve as deeply > > encoded and powerfully evocative sets of metaphors, which both define a > > sitation and prescribe our response to it. As examples, he cites > > the 17th century Indian captivity as a model for the Iranian hostage crisis > > and Custer's "Last Stand" as a model for early U.S. defeats in World War II. > > > > In modern society, he argues, the process of mythmaking is the > > commercial product of a cultural industry. And while such myths > > arise from a process of natural selection, in which producers and > > consumers interact, commercial popular culture tends to present > > the mythology of certain identifiable communities of cultural producers, > > and thus reflects the folklore of the movie industry, journalists, > > hack writers, and so forth. Thus rather than reflecting the "national > > mind," myths tell us a great deal about the assumptions and ideology > > of certain influential groups. > > > > Implicit in the frontier ideology, he argues, are certain assumptions > > about a unified "us" versus a savage "them"; the necessary > > costs of progress; and the idea that violence can serve a purifying, > > even regenerating function. Myths, he emphasizes, are elastic (for example, > > one can evoke the figure of Jesse James in a populist attack on powerful > > economic interests), but for all their flexibility, myths are also > ideological. > > Thus in the case of the frontier myth, Slotkin argues that it helped serve > > in complex ways to rationalize the processes of capitalist development. > > > > I'd be interested in your thoughts. Is Hollywood in some sense the > > custodian of our "collective cultural unconscious"? Can one speak of > > a way that it uses myth to disseminate a distinctive ideology? > > > > Steve Mintz > > ---- > To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L > in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask] > Irene C. Upshur, Director Instructional Media Center Marymount University 2807 N. Glebe Rd. Arlington, Virginia 22207 ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]