Youth as Myth – Myths in Film An Essay

Abstract

Youth, that is the thesis, is to be regarded as the central myth of modernity. Youth is not so much the empirical phenomenon of an independent or biological phase of life, but rather the construction of an ideal generational unit, which should convey meaning and identity through opposition to the present and not as an empirical fact. As fiction and construction, every myth, including that of youth, needs a carrier medium. Stories are best suited for this purpose, whether in the form of orally handed-down narratives, novels or films. Films and movies can directly take up the narrative and myth-generating tradition of literature. They offer projection screens in the actual but also in the figurative sense and can give the myth of youth an acoustic and optical form. Youth myths in films or movies do not necessarily require artistic quality or elaborate content. More important is that young people identify with the films and can use them as a springboard to alternative fantasy worlds.