: Re: What's the significance of ancient mythology in literature? Whenever I see a movie critic praise Ridley Scott's Prometheus, they seem to be drooling over all the mythological references, although

@Phylliss352

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The other answers are good, but there's a whole dimension that hasn't been addressed (except by @FBRogers who got his darn post in before I had a chance to write this ;) ).

Myths were (and, to a large extent, still are) mankind's way of coming to terms with the nature of reality - especially the parts that deal with emotions, our inner nature, and things that aren't always amenable to the rational mind. Without going all C.G. Jung on you, archetypes and myths resonate deeply and powerfully with us on many levels. They are usually what gives a story juice. It's what the readers or watchers identify with - often unconsciously. It's almost impossible to write anything good without them.

So, the myths and archetypes will (almost) always be there. The only issue is whether making the connections explicit makes a difference. In some cases this is a genre thing with comics (graphic novels, to be politically correct) about demigods and superheros.

In other cases, maybe the target audience can be assumed to be lacking in a classical education (getting more rare by the day, from what I hear about the current state of education) and may need a push in the intended direction so as to have a clue as to what the story is really about.

Barring these (and undoubtedly, more legitimate uses I haven't thought of), such references may just be blatant grabs for association with memes that sell. That's where to draw the line. Don't use them to disingenuously trick your reader or to insult their intelligence.

But, don't be afraid to use them appropriately. Joseph Campbell (the demigod of mythology and archetypes) did a lot of consulting for George Lucas when he was developing Star Wars and (without knowing any of the specifics) I'm sure that made a very positive contribution to the work (at least to the first three movies, Episodes 4, 5, and 6 ;( ).

As for critics, they can point out how well (or poorly) a myth/archetype was employed. I know I don't always analyse everything I see/read and sometimes having things like this pointed out to me is very helpful.

As an aside, I remember seeing Zabriskey Point (an unremarkable movie) in an art theater (back when that didn't mean x rated). At the end as we were getting up to go, someone in the theater called out, "Boy meets girl in dessert." and got everybody in the theater laughing. That pretty much summarized the whole movie.

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