Centre for the Study of Myth
Directorial Committee: Dr
William Rowlandson and Dr
Angela Voss
Former Director: Professor
Graham Anderson
Members
In Classical and Archaeological Studies
Dr Anne Alwis (Byzantine saints' lives)
Professor Graham Anderson (International folk and fairytale; Arthurian and other kingship legends)
Dr Patty Baker (Myth in art and architecture)
Dr Adam Bartley (Myth in comic literature)
Dr Evangelos Kyriakidis (Minoan religion)
In Theology and Religious Studies
Dr Patrick Curry (The cultural study of cosmology)
Dr Chris Deacy (Demythologizing)
Dr Leon Schlamm (Jungian archetypes)
Dr Angela Voss (The cultural study of cosmology)
In SECL Language and Literature Board
Professor Osman Durrani (the Faust legend and Volksbuch tradition)
Dr James Fowler (Myth and fairytale in Perrault)
Dr Ana de Medeiros (Margaret Yourcenar's use of mythology)
Dr Montserrat Roser i Puig (Ancient myth in contemporary Catalan theatre)
Dr William Rowlandson (Myth in the Cuban Revolution; Spanish Arthurian literature)
Mythology at Kent
The study of Myth is by nature flexible and multidisciplinary. It is to be found embedded in the literatures of the Ancient World, but also in those of Modern Europe, as well as in the accompanying art and archaeology; and it is an almost unavoidable component in Religious Studies. Myth overlaps with a number of areas, including folklore, fantasy fiction, hagiography, and oral literature, and has acquired a special but significant sense in relation to political propaganda. It also has acquired an irrepressible media image maintained by such events as the ‘Harry Potter' phenomenon and the controversies over The Holy Blood and the Holy Graal and The Da Vinci Code.
Mythology is studied in a number of areas covered by the University, and in particular relates to expertise available in some depth in the School of European Culture and Languages (SECL). There is already a substantial presence of myth-related courses at undergraduate level within the SECL. These currently include:
- CP511 Science Fictions: Comparative Perspectives
- CP516 Dogs, Devils and Demons: Images of Hell in Virgil and Dante
- CL313 Atlantis
- CL315 Classical Mythology: Themes and Approaches
- CL578 Myth into Tragedy
- CL614 The Archaeology of Belief, Cult and Ritual
- FR593 Paris: Myth and Reality
- LS550 Reading Monstrosity in Iberian Culture
- TH546 The Cultural Study of Cosmology and Divination
- TH 580 Religion and Story
(Note also, at postgraduate level, LS809 Myth, Fashion, etc. in the Cuban Revolution)
Courses elsewhere in the Faculty of Humanities at Kent
explore aspects of storytelling (both academically and
creatively), childhood and memory, propaganda, and much else relating
to myth in some respect; while Anthropology engages in
the study of traditional cultures to which myth is often integral.
Aims and Objectives
The Centre aims to co-ordinate research and research-related activities in the study of myth within the University, as well as to stimulate still further the considerable amount of teaching which already takes place in and around the subject at undergraduate level. The centre has been established with the following aims:
- to enrich the research environment in the field of mythology, both locally and nationally;
- to act as a focus for co-operative enterprises such as jointly authored books and conference papers;
- to ensure the best use of existing resources in the area of myth.
Activities
The Centre will co-ordinate myth-related activities within the University and resources such as library holdings currently widely spread between subject areas. It aims to further the study of myth by establishing national and international contacts, including the appointment of honorary fellows. It plans to support an annual lecture, beginning in 2008. It supports colloquia and seminars on such broadly inclusive topics as theoretical approaches to myth, myth and culture, and myth and narrative. A colloquium is planned for Spring 2008 on The Reception of Antigone in Spanish Literature; and several occasional seminars will be held throughout the year. These will include an inaugural lecture by Professor Ken Dowden of the University of Birmingham at a date to be arranged; and occasional seminars in the forthcoming term by members of the School, including Professor Graham Anderson on Ancient Kingship Legend and Dr Adam Bartley on Lucian's Dialogues of the Sea-Goddesses. A joint book is also planned embodying the mythological interests within SECL in the first instance. It is also hoped to include a mythology module in the existing MA programmes in Comparative Literary Studies and Theology and Religious Studies.
Postgraduate supervision is currently offered on a wide range of myth-related topics. Recent supervisions have included: (MA) Elizabeth Norton on Aspects of Witchcraft in Antiquity, (M.Phil.) Stephen Penfold on The Furies in Greek Myth; PhD (in progress) Kirsty Corrigan on Mythological Heroines in Silver Latin Literature.
The 'Antigone in Hispanic Studies' conference (4-5 April 2008) was the first event to have been organized as part of the research activities of the Centre for the Study of Myth, in collaboration with the European Theatre Research Centre based in the School of Drama, Film and Visual Arts at the University of Kent. The conference both spoke to and allowed for the development of existing research strengths within the School of European Culture and Languages and the Faculty of Humanities. Professor Graham Anderson, Director of the Centre, gave a Keynote Address on the figure of Antigone.
Publications and Grants
There has been substantial research production in the area in recent years, including Graham Anderson, Fairytale in the Ancient World (2000), King Arthur in Antiquity (2004), and Greek and Roman Folklore (2006); Osman Durrani, Faust: Icon of Modern Culture (2004); Angela Voss, Marsilio Ficino (2006); Adam Bartley, A Commentary on Lucian's Dialogues of the Sea-Gods (2009); Chris Deacy, 'From Bultman to Burton: "Demythologising the Big Fish"' (forthcoming); and William Rowlandson, "Dismantling Political Mythologies" (forthcoming).
Several large research grants have come to SECL in relation to myth-related topics. These include £9,865 for a commentary on the earliest Arthurian texts (Graham Anderson) and c. £110,000 over three years from Leverhulme on Kingship Legends in Antiquity (Graham Anderson). In addition, support for salary costs have been received from the Sophia Trust for Angela Voss and Patrick Curry for the period 2006-9. The Centre aims to encourage further funding bids to continue the substantial existing confidence of funding bodies in the University's initiatives.