The Functions of Literature and Myth

Discuss how the function of literature compares with the function of myth as described in chapter 3. To focus your answer, consider the hero myth alongside any combination of Homer’s Iliad, the novels of Ernest Hemingway discussed in this chapter, and one or more war poems from the chapter’s end.

Review “What is Myth” and “The Hero as World Myth” (chapter 3); “An Early Masterpiece: Homer’s Iliad,” “The Modern American Novel,” and “Critical Focus: Exploring the Poetry of War” (chapter 4).