Rockstar Founding Fathers

Hello again! Sorry for the long break – I’ve been busy with life stuff and my mom visiting. Yes, I’m blaming my mother. I am not above that.

I’m all about the myths over here at Mythic Ramblings. (For that matter, I’m also all about the rambling.) I’m fascinated by what our American, western culture takes to be myths and mythological figures. So much of our relatively short history is cataloged and recorded. We don’t have much ambiguity for a mythic narrative to play around in. You might think then that we as Americans don’t have a mythology, not in the same sense that other cultures did and do.

I would argue against that, obvi. I think the Marvel and DC characters are a mythology. I think that even corporate entities like Disney and Lego, which base a lot of their products and narratives off of the mythologies or materials of previous manufacturers, have created their own mythologies. Universal Films has its own mythology. To get really meta, our economy even has its own mythology, that of Capitalism. (Hint: if it’s capitalized, it’s important.) However, we have a very strong and historically embedded mythology in the form of … the Founding Fathers. But I’ve noticed a trend in the mythos surrounding them. Lately we’ve been seeing a lot of movies and shows that are attempting to revisit and update the myths about these men. I’d like to look at what exactly these changes are, and offer a few of my ideas about what’s started the change. More after the jump: Continue reading “Rockstar Founding Fathers”

Writing Off a Character: Elementary and Sleepy Hollow

When I started this site, I had a list of all these bigger, larger posts in mind to talk about the general state of affairs in visual media today. But I also knew I wanted to incorporate some timely reactions to the movies and shows I watch. I settled down today to catch up on my shows, as I do most every Tuesday. I was slightly blown away by the comparisons and lines of thought popping up. And so here I am, with a nice long list in my pocket, about to make a post on how Elementary and Sleepy Hollow recently wrote out a new character. Spoilers for both shows after the jump. Continue reading “Writing Off a Character: Elementary and Sleepy Hollow”