A Macrocosm of Consciousness: A Phenomenological Review of Myth in Science Fiction
Author
Bruun, Tobias
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-02-20
Pages
53
Abstract
This thesis examines whether mythic structures underpin the genre of science fiction and whether those structures can be understood as products of human consciousness. Drawing on phenomenological approaches to myth—especially Northrop Frye’s synthesis of ideas from Mircea Eliade, C. G. Jung, Joseph Campbell, and William Blake—the study combines a theoretical review with a comparative analysis of two landmark trilogies, Star Wars and The Matrix. Guided by Frye’s model of myth and the development of consciousness, the analysis finds that both narratives contain the four elements and stages of mythic development, realize Frye’s three worlds of perception, and culminate in protagonists (Luke and Neo) who embody a heightened, visionary consciousness, though each series traces this journey at a different pace and in distinct ways. These findings clarify a mythic foundation at work within science fiction and, in the conclusion, discuss how its appeal may be anchored in shared structures of experience and the collective unconscious.
Specialet undersøger, om mytens struktur udgør et grundlag for science fiction-genren, og om denne struktur kan forstås som et produkt af menneskelig bevidsthed. Med udgangspunkt i fænomenologiske tilgange til myte—særligt Northrop Fryes syntese af ideer fra Mircea Eliade, C. G. Jung, Joseph Campbell og William Blake—kombinerer studiet en teoretisk gennemgang med en komparativ analyse af to centrale trilogier, Star Wars og The Matrix. Med Fryes model for myte og bevidsthedsudvikling som analytisk ramme viser undersøgelsen, at begge fortællinger rummer de fire elementer og stadier af mytisk udvikling, realiserer Fryes tre erkendelsesverdener og kulminerer i hovedpersoner (Luke og Neo), der legemliggør en visionær bevidsthed, om end de når dertil i forskelligt tempo og på forskellige måder. Resultaterne tydeliggør en mytisk forankring i science fiction og drøfter i konklusionen, hvordan genrens gennemslag kan være knyttet til fælles erfaringsstrukturer og det kollektive ubevidste.
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