Burden of
Knowledge
Abstract
Joseph Campbell’s representative
cultural myth is used to analyze the filmography of Oliver Stone. A countermyth,
the resulting structural
alternative to Campbell’s
monomyth,
is explored. Stone’s
methodology for
conveying the countermyth is demonstrated by applying Sergei
Eisenstein’s
cinematic theories. The
concept of lost
innocence plays an important role in many narrative traditions, and it
is an
important motif embedded in the countermyth.
The significance of the lost innocence motif is
established by
considering its cultural and historical importance.
Key events in post–World War II America
–
John Kennedy’s assassination, the Vietnam War, and Watergate
– are examined as
manifestations of a collective search for meaning.
Coincident and retrospective critical
analyses of Stone’s films are explored to determine the
ability of the
countermyth to effect social change.
The
countermyth is explored as a search for meaning in the myth, history,
and
trauma of a generation.
Dan Butler, 2006