Re: Travel Narratives in Glorantha

From: Nicholas Pagnucco <npagnucco_at_...>
Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:10:06 -0000

• In HeroQuest-RPG_at_yahoogroups.com, Jane Williams
  > I have no idea, this not being an area I've studied in
  > any great depth. I can believe that such a figure
  > exists, since I keep hearing that Campbell is
  > discredited among Those Wot Know, and presumably he
  > must have been replaced by someone.
  >
  > I will add Levi-Strauss to my list of things I want to
  > find out about (it's a long list!)
  

There are a few different forms of discredited, and not all of them are bad for gaming purposes :) But anyhow, Levi-Strauss is good.

Another guy who I think is interesting is Northrop Frye. Literary theorist from Canada, came up with an interesting and detailed typology for myth and narratives. His book Anatomy of Criticism is IMHO very good for arguing how the structure of a narrative gives it meaning, creating a certain kind of inertia that practically demands certain kinds of conclusions. That being said, he's much more heavily focused on Christianity in Europe & N. America than I think Gloranthaphiles would possibly like.