Also in that Story, Myth, Dream & Drama essay, she talks a bit about how contemporary characters in pop culture lack the depth and resonance of ancient mythological figures and deities. I tend to disagree with this denigration of modern myth, but she says:

By the standards of the great classical myths, their characters are so shallow and so glib, their imagery so stereotyped and debased, their plots so superficial and contrived. They produce neither illumination nor catharsis. They carry no parabolic conviction. They do not embody the values of a whole society.

I find it annoying when people say we no longer have a “functioning mythology.” I think Joseph Campbell was the person who really popularized the notion of this intrinsic lack of worth of modern stories, when compared to ancient ones. I might even try to make the opposite argument: that the problem lies not in an inability to follow the old stories, but from an inability to let them go, and to change and influence the stories which are really and truly psychically active for us today.

I also think it’s especially silly to say that characters in today’s pop culture are “shallow” or “stereotypical.” That’s essentially the whole point, and it’s what allows people to both project themselves into that story and identify with that character. A certain universality is essential for their success. Also, saying that ancient deities and mythological figures are NOT stereotypical is just preposterous. Even where they take human shape, they are merely caricatures or cardboard cutouts possessing a list of traits and associate events. They are a far cry from being fully fleshed-out like real people. And even going a step further, the whole concept of archetype is actually quite close to and perhaps indistinguishable from stereotype, when you get down to it.

Admittedly, the author of the above article which set off this rant does actually go into some of that stuff later on. I just wanted to isolate that passage, because it is extremely representative of a trend in this field which aggravates me to no end.