Jan Patočka on Myth in the Wartime Manuscripts
In his manuscripts dated around 1943, Patočka considers myth to be the revelation of action in the divine region, separated as it is from the world of everyday experience by a mythological chorismos, and attainable by means of a mythical anamnesis. Patočka elaborates a periodical division of history, with the mythical stage representing a golden age whose end and a dénouement into the everyday is a fatal event, caused by human ill-will. This particular stage of Patočka’s thought is characterized by a positive evaluation of myth as something that makes possible an intimate connection with the world. The paper also considers links to Patočka’s previous and later works.
Backlinks: Reflexe 40