Abstract

An Archetypal Reading of the Myth Representations in Seamus Heaney's Selected Poems

Alaa Abbas Ghadban

Volume: 11 Issue: 4 2021

Abstract:

Archetypes reveal the shared roles among universal societies. This archetype may create a shared imaginary which is defined by many stereotypes that have not separated themselves from the traditional, biological, religious and mythical framework. In the same way, archetypal criticism represents that body of many stereotypes including plot structure, symbols, character type, themes that occur in mythology, religion, and stories across cultures and time periods. Heaney poetry has rested on a wide range of mythic patterns and archetypal images, particularly the image of the scapegoat/sacrificial victim and earth goddess. His archetypal images have been identified with the contemporary issues in his country. Therefore, this paper explores the underlying archetypal pattern that Heaney implies in some selected poems. These poems target the mythological heritage of his homeland which he either celebrates or criticized. His poems exhibit the poet's unconscious attachment to the universal archetypes which set social phenomena.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.37648/ijrssh.v11i04.017

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