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mythopoesis, The creative "making" (poesis) of myths, often in terms of reinventing earlier themes ro mythologicl materials and themes in literature.
Read an article by William Doty on
"Mythopoesis from Moby Dick to Ahab's Wife".
Mythopoeic literature is literature that involves the making of myths. Notable mythopoeic authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and George MacDonald.
The term Mythopoeia (virtual Greek μυθοποεια "mythos-making") was coined by Tolkien as a title of one of his poems [1], which was written as a reaction to Lewis' statement that myths were "lies breathed through silver". The poem takes a position opposed to rationalism and materialism, referring to the creative human author as "the little maker" wielding his "own small golden sceptre" ruling his Subcreation (understood as genuine Creation within God's primary Creation)
- I will not treat your dusty path and flat,
denoting this and that by this and that,
your world immutable wherein no part
the little maker has with maker's art.
I bow not yet before the Iron Crown,
nor cast my own small golden sceptre down.
Read the entire poem
The Mythopoeic Society is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the study of fantasy and mythic literature. The group focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on works written by J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and C. S. Lewis. These authors were members of The Inklings, an informal literary discussion group at Oxford that met during the years from the 1930s to the 1950s.
The Mythopoeic Society was founded in 1967 by Glen H. GoodKnight. Originally composed of discussion groups based in the Los Angeles area, it expanded to include organized branches across North America; in 1972 it assimilated the Tolkien Society of America. Today, membership is open to those who read, study, or write in the mythic and fantasy genres. The society sponsors several discussion groups and, each summer, a conference known as Mythcon.
Three periodical publications are produced by the society:
- Mythprint is a monthly newsletter with book reviews and articles.
- Mythlore publishes peer-reviewed articles on mythic and fantastic works.
- The Mythic Circle is a collection of original fiction and poetry that is published yearly.
In addition to the periodicals, the society also publishes scholarly books, and bestows a series of awards to outstanding works in fantasy and mythic literature, and to scholarly works on those subjects.
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