Myth and mythical forms in the poetry of Al-Sayyab and T. S. Eliot; Influence and literary archetypes: a jungian archetypal criticism

Abstract EN

Badr Shaker Al-Sayyab and T.

S.

Eliot have extensively been studied from a variety of angles and perspectives, more particularly in terms of the inspiration Al Sayyab received from T.

S.

Eliot and his poetry.

Myth and mythical patterns in Al Sayyab's and Eliot's poetry have thus been investigated thoroughly.

Such studies, however, have commonly addressed the use of myth by Al-Sayyab as an aspect of influence exerted by T.

S.

Eliot.

The argument of such studies is that although Al Sayyab has resuscitated traditional Arab and Iraqi mythology by employing them in his poetry, myth in his poetry still has to be studied within the influence of western poets, especially T.

S.

Eliot.

In the employment of myth in his poetry, Al-Sayyab however tends occasionally to follow a technique of amalgamation bringing together the west and the east, spicing his poetry up with a touch of universality.

Therefore, the current research paper intends to argue-in the light of Carl Jung's concepts and ideas of myth and archetypes that the presence of myth and mythical forms in the poetry of Al-Sayyab and T.

S.

Eliot is more of a universal human and archetypal literary phenomenon than mere influence.