Abstract

This study provides an account of the potential rhetorical power of myth based on the writings of Ernst Cassirer, Susanne Langer, and Kenneth Burke. Although individual pieces of mythic criticism appearing within Speech Communication journals are indicative of a growing interest in the rhetorical dimension of myth, these pieces are accompanied by a lack of coherent theoretical justification. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to render a broad theoretical explication of mythic rhetorical potential. ;The theoretical substantiation of the potential rhetorical power of myth represented in this study was constructed from suggestions and implications drawn from claims regarding the principles of mythic language articulated by Cassirer, Langer, and Burke. The phenomenological approach undertaken by these scholars and their compatible formulations regarding the universal principles underlying mythic conception were viewed as most appropriate to the purposes of this project. ;This research was conducted by first examining the works of Cassirer, Langer, and Burke in depth to discern potentially relevant theoretical claims. Claims that were viewed as implicit suggestions of rhetorical potential residing within mythic form were then divided into the following aspects: substance, motives, structure, and cultural functions. Within each chapter dedicated to a specific theorist, these aspects constitute separate categories representing attributions of mythic rhetorical potential. The conclusion of the study contains a metatheoretical discussion, a theoretical synthesis, and implications for rhetorical and communication studies. ;The significance of understanding the rhetorical nature of mythic power becomes evident in light of the important cultural functions arising from this source. Mythic archetypal models not only reveal human potential through ethical conceptions, but also instigate and enable moral orientations upon which individuals as well as entire cultures rely for survival and teleological fulfillment. ;While myths of natural origin provide critical beneficial cultural functions, myths misappropriated for political ends may reap disaster, such as was the case in the Nazi oppression of Jews. This study provides an account of the magnitudinal potential of mythic influence to effect benevolent as well as malevolent consequences