Examples Of Archaic Lore

Ancient Inspiration It is difficult to imagine a story that has been written without there being some sort of inspiration behind it. Inspiration is a quality that makes all stories worth reading. It allows the reader to envision a multitude of scenarios that might have birthed what they just read. James Joyce and D.H. Lawrence incorporate archaic lore in their stories to provide them with more depth. The use of archaic lore in many, if not all, of James Joyce’s and D.H. Lawrence’s stories is a defining characteristic of British and Irish modern literature. Both authors use ancient lore to structure their stories, and to provide it with a ritualistic feel-each unique to their own writings. Some examples of archaic lore being used in Joyce’s “The Dead”, based on our class notes, are; ancient myths, significant dates, traditions and allusion from the past. The ancient myth of “Da Derga’s Hostel” is being played upon in this short story. In the myth, a man by the name of King …show more content…
This is where the Three Fates make an appearance. “These Three measure, assess and end the life of a human” (notes). There presence is known when Conroy begins to assess his life after hearing about Gretta’s first love, Michael Furey. This is yet another play on names with the similarities between his last name and the previously mentioned mythological characters.
D.H. Lawrence’s “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” is yet another fascinating way archaic lore tidbits make an appearance in modern day literature. At first glance, this would appear to be a traditional “boy meets girl” love story; however, that is not the case. Lawrence leaves behind all the mushy gushy aspects of a traditional romance story and replaces it with the deeply, encrypted emotions they truly feel. This is illuminated by Lawrence’s depictions of human’s sexual nature and psychological