Mike Zang - Repetition

If we were to somehow create an overarching purview of myth since the beginning of humankind, we could probably categorize them into just a few broad archetypes. This can be both a good and a bad thing. Good because it shows the consistency of human thought throughout history; bad because it might reduce civilization to a restricted set of ideas, question our free will, and perhaps suggest that we cannot escape these fundamental ideas. However, Chesterton speaks of repetition in positive light in "The Ethics of Elfland." His understanding about repetition is that it points towards a cyclical positive energy. There is nothing particularly weird about repetition, but rather it seems more rational to him than anything. It is the redundancy of features that the cosmological force finds fitting. It is also the redundancy that humanity oftentimes gets sick of and perceives as lacking life.

The stories of Narnia and Lord of the Rings may be just another repetition of archetypal elements told throughout history, but they serve a primary purpose within the context of time. They have the auspicious capability of pulling together archaic mythological ideas, and conveying them to a widespread mainstream culture. Although modern culture may not interpret the stories how older societies interpretted them, that is fine. It works in with the evolution of myth itself. The important matter is how the story stands throughout time and becomes reworked into the fabric of contemporary culture.