Mythologemes and mythemes: Semiotic markers of myth in contemporary mass culture
Mythologemes and mythemes: Semiotic markers of myth in contemporary mass culture

Summary/Abstract: This paper focuses on the scrutiny of structural units of myth within mass cultural discourse. The author reviews studies of the mytho logeme and mytheme in semiotics and also relevant research in other fields concerning the announced research object. The main aim of the paper is to distinguish inner semiotic markers of myth and to examine their application to mass cultural narratives. Drawing on the analysis of previous theoretical research and case studies, the author compares the two structural units and makes an attempt to formulate specifi cations towards existing definitions. Particular examples of mythemes and mythologemes in mass culture discourse are regarded within this paper. The author points out the mytheme of Transformation, the mytheme of Backtracking, the mythologeme of Childhood (Golden Age), the mythologeme of Arma geddon (Flood), and the mythologeme of World Tree.

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