Alternatives for the End of the World: Myth, Tragic Destiny and Science Fiction

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/amal.66691
Keywords: Terminator, Euripides, myth criticism, science fiction, mythology, mass culture, literature, ancient theater
Agencies: Conacyt, Sistema Nacional de Investigadores

Abstract

We propose a reading of Terminator: Dark Fate, the most recent installment of one of the most influential film sagas of contemporary science fiction, and we contrast it with the sense of the classic tragic destiny of The Trojans, by Euripides. From the configuration of the mytheme of the protective mother in the two protagonists (Hecuba / Sarah Connor), we stand out the mythemes that function as links between both protagonists. Respecting the properties of each genre, we observe that the woman-mother figure has an active position facing destiny with which she defines her heroic type and the fate of her community. We conclude stating that the mytheme’s efficacy that sustains the filmic text it is based more on the mythical paradigm than on the scientific one.

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Author Biography

Luis Alberto Pérez-Amezcua, Centro Universitario del Sur de la Universidad de Guadalajara (México)

B.A. in Hispanic Literature and M.A. in Mexican Literature Studies by the Universidad de Guadalajara. Ph.D. in Literary Theory by the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. Professor-Researcher at the Departament of Arts and Humanities of the Centro Universitario del Sur of the Universidad de Guadalajara.

Has published scientific papers in international journals and develops the mythcriticism as line of research. Autor of the book Novela como nube de Gilberto Owen. Identidad y amor en un Contemporáneo. Coauthor, of Carlos Monsiváis. Premio FIL de Literatura 2006 and Apreciación del arte. Guía de aprendizaje. His book Hermes en la encrucijada: análisis mitocrítico de las novelas líricas de los Contemporáneos will be published soon.

Member of Mexico’s Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, the most important research distinction of the country.

Since 2005 works for the Universidad de Guadalajara, and has been chief of the Editorial and Reading Promotion Unit, chief of the Cultural Broadcasting Unit, coordinator of Internationalization and coordinator of the Hispanic Literature undergraduate program.

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Published
2020-05-20
How to Cite
Pérez-Amezcua L. A. y Junco E. (2020). Alternatives for the End of the World: Myth, Tragic Destiny and Science Fiction. Amaltea. Revista de mitocrítica, 12, 33-41. https://doi.org/10.5209/amal.66691
Issue
Vol. 12 (2020): Myth and Science Fiction
Section
Articles | Thematic Issue

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