So I'm posting it here:
Popular Culture as Folklore: The Intertextuality Matrix of Cabin in the Woods
Folklore is defined as “the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people”.
For many scholars, folklore remains something that exists in the past..
However, an accurate analysis must consider what constitutes folklore
in the modern world. I argue that popular culture has become modern day
folklore. It contains legends, and archetypes that are recognizable
across generations and social class. Popular culture is also reflective
of the beliefs of a generation or group. Familiarity with current
popular culture requires not only a knowledge of current trends and
tropes, but also a working knowledge of past popular culture that is
referenced within other other works, the lore. There is no better
example of this than Whedon and Goddard’s 2012 film, Cabin in the Woods. In
many ways, it is easiest to argue horror’s folkloric roots, than any
other genre. Whedon and Goddard are clearly playing with horror as a
genre in their film, but I argue that rather than just responding to
current horror trends, or criticizing them, Whedon and Goddard are
actually accomplishing much bigger work- they are creating new, and
contributing to current, folklore. In his script, Whedon focus on
folkloric archetypes such as the maid, warrior, fool, and the threat of
old gods, while Goddard, in his execution of the script relies on the
audience’s previous knowledge of specific horror films and tropes. When
analyzed as a whole Cabin in the Woods can be analyzed both as inspired by, and contributing to folklore.  |
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