| This study discusses the interplay of myth and anti-myth in the work of David Mamet. It is centrally concerned with discerning Mamet's own sense of myth in relation to other theories or "schools," and how myth operates as an integral symbolic sub-stratum in his work. There is a twofold methodology at work in this study. The first task is to develop dramaturgical analyses of Mamet's plays: simply, what is the particularly distinct "world" that he creates by his use of character, language, form, etc.? The second method of study discusses myth as a record of humankind's creative imagination, revealing the social, psychological, and spiritual struggles humans have battled for centuries. Mamet taps into that metaphorical repository, revealing contemporary society in light of the universal dimension myth is able to offer.;The various uses of myth discussed here illustrate Mamet's shifting vision of American culture. Chapter One explores his use of what I have termed "anti-myth," in which traditional mythological structures have been drained from contemporary culture. The features of anti-myth are opposite of those found in myth--they are enervating rather than life enhancing and promote human divisiveness rather than relatedness. Chapter Two discusses plays that utilize the psychological function of myth: the mythological archetypes and narratives that reveal psychological transformations within major characters. Chapter Three discusses plays that utilize the metaphysical function of myth, in which waking consciousness is reconciled with the mysterious, spiritual side of existence. Finally, Mamet's use of myth is seen as an attempt to respiritualize or reenchant the world, to offer a vision of experience that attempts to arrest the losses caused by a corrupt, exploitive culture. What results is a diversified vision of American culture, indicting the forces that have led to cultural disintegration, yet guardedly optimistic of the potential for individual and cultural transformation. |
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