Week Three: Reading Mythology

This week we are reading True Grit by Charles Portis and considering the idea of a what a "western" might be. What are the assumptions that frequently accompany works in the genre of the western? 

In addition to looking at the way the mediascape can be divided into genres, we will also consider the deep cultural assumptions that go to shaping positions in the mediaverse like "national identity," and how these assumptions can become mythology, the often unquestioned expectations that frame our cultural experiences.  In thinking about True Grit, consider the values embedded in the work and how they are represented in this book. We will also consider how the presentation of values in this work might rise to the level of mythology.

Writing Assignment: Write a blog post describing how this novel and its film versions reflect or comment on American mythology. What assumptions about the nature of humans, about society and morality are embodied in this novel and the film versions. After you read the novel, please watch one/or both film versions of True Grit, the 2010 version directed by the Coen Brothers starring Jeff Bridges and the 1969 version directed by Henry Hathaway and starring John Wayne if you can. 

Costume Exhibit for the 2010 Movie of True Grit directed by the Coen Brothers

Myths of the Western Genre



Link to Edison recording of Mary from 1878.