Author: LI Wei, Doctor of literature, lecturer, School of Literature and Media, Huizhou University.
Abstract:
Anatomy of Criticism established Northrup Frye’s academic status and enabled the integration of world literature, but the book also left many theoretical loopholes behind. Various unanswered questions highlight Frye’ s theoretical plight, such as the communicability of literary archetypes or the possibility of the circulation of literature as a whole. Frye continued to improve his theory and ultimately constructed a complete theoretical system with three core pillars: media, mythology, and the Bible. Drawing on a media studies perspective and the work of Marshall McLuhan, literary language is seen to gain its metaphorical nature because of its origins in the oral era, while the interaction of metaphors ensures the communicative nature of literary prototypes. This revision to the concept of myth enabled mythology to be soothing and holistic, bringing dual possibilities to the holistic circulation of literature. Study of the Bible has confirmed its status as a primal mythology, and proven how later literature has substituted for, and borrowed from it. These critical advances have not only repaired the previous theoretical loopholes, but also propelled Frye’s critical theory to expand in a postmodern direction.
Keywords:
Anatomy of Criticism, Frye, Medium, Mythology, Bible
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