1. I NTRODUCTION TO M YTHOLOGY

2. F IVE G ENRES OF L ITERATURE Fiction—A prose narrative work of the imagination including novels and short stories. Nonfiction—Factual prose writing. Tells about incidents that really happened and people who really lived. (Includes autobiography, biography, and essays.) Poetry—Imaginative writing in which language, images, sound, and rhythm combine to create a special emotional effect. Have a regular rhythm, and some rhyme. Drama (play)—The form of literature that presents a story to be performed for an audience. Myth—An ancient, anonymous story that conveys the beliefs and ideals of a culture and usually involves gods and goddesses.

3. F OUR PURPOSES FOR READING / WRITING Read for the love of literature Read to be inspired Read for information Write to persuade, inform, or entertain.

4. W HAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A MYTH ? Historically—Helped people understand how natural events and human actions happened. Also helped people control what happened in the world. Currently—Read for entertainment.

5. W HY DO I READ MYTHS ?

6. H OW DO I READ A MYTH ?

7. G REEK M YTHOLOGY Mythology is a collection of myths of a particular people. Myth—An ancient anonymous story, usually involving gods and goddesses, that conveys the beliefs and ideals of a culture. From the Greek mythos meaning story. Connected to natural events and human actions. Oral tradition—The handing down of songs, poems, legends, and folk talks from generation to generation by word of mouth. People created myths to: Understand how natural events and human actions happened. Control what happened in the world.

8. C HARACTERS IN G REEK M YTHOLOGY Gods/Goddesses (deities) Demi-Gods Nymphs Satyrs Creatures Hero—The central character of a work of literature.

9. H ERO ( CONTINUED ) Epic Hero—a main character in an epic whose legendary or heroic actions are central to his/her culture, race, or nation Examples Epic--noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style. Tragic Hero--a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy Examples

10. A LLUSION Allusion—A reference in a work of literature to a character, place, or situation from another work of literature. Characters from Greek mythology are the most common alluded to characters in literature. Examples of modern Greek allusions: