Customer Reviews

Daily News, Eternal Stories: The Mythological Role of Journalism

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This is an interesting approach to the news as stories, and the role of mythology in journalism Lule observes "...storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human. We understand our lives and our world through story. Perhaps stories are so much a part of us because human life itself has the structure of story. Each of us has a central character. Each of us knows, better than we know anything, that life has a beginning, middle and end. We need stories because we are stories." He takes the position that "news stories offer sacred, societal narratives with shared values and beliefs, with lessons and themes, and with exemplary models that instruct and inform." Stories told by the media are used as examples which teach readers what are good and bad ways to behave. Good guys are lauded, "bad" guys are ripped apart. For his "data" Lule compares stories in the New York Times and other major papers. It is fascinating to see the differences, and to see, with his insightful narration, how, over time, the stories changed, and even, how the stories told by the Times actually changed the news itself, and affected how others reported on the actual events. Lule lists what he calls seven myths, which he says "appear frequently, if not daily, in the news. They are primordial stories that have guided human storytelling for ages. And they guide the news and stories of today." The myths are: The Victim, The Scapegoat, The Hero, The Good Mother, The Trickster, The Other World and The Flood. I found the book a fascinating read. I bought it because I thought I could learn better how the media thinks and digests news, so I could use this to my benefit in PR efforts I occasionally engage in. I was right. It will help. This would also be a great resource to any journalist who wants to learn how to tap further and deeper into the archetypal, mythical resonances in the hearts of readers. I'm in the process of organizing a conference, StoryCon, on the art and science of story. Jack Lule has agreed to be a participant at the meeting, along with story creation giants like Jim Bonnet, Chris Vogler, Syd Field, Lew Hunter, Linda Seger and many more.

It's actually a shame that this is published under an academic imprint (Guilford, which is a fantastic publisher) because the book will interest more than just academic readers. I bought copies for two author friends-- Stephen Larsen (Fire in the Mind, authorized biography of Joseph Campbell) and Thom Hartmann, (Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight, Prophet's Way, ADD a Different Perspective) and both gobbled this book up, telling me the next day they'd spent the evening with it.