An Examination of the Mythical Structure of The Song of the Lark: An Artist’s Professional Journey

Abstract

Both folktales and classical myths are combined in Willa Cather’s The Song of the Lark (1915) as the sources of her art of writing. She refers several times to the folktales of the early cliff dwellers of Panther Canyon and to the myth of Orpheus as a means to pave the way for the artistic initiation of the protagonist; Thea Kronborg. But because the structure of the story is rather based on the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece, this is what will be proven in accordance with Northrop Frye’s theory of displacement.

The objective of this study is to make use of some of Frye’s ideas, one of the most influential modern myth critics, in the examination of this story to show that this approach can widen the scope of such a novel as well as deepen our understanding and appreciation of the story.