Modern dragons: The crocodilian in the Western mind

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" Modern dragons: The crocodilian in the Western mind "
James M. Reitter J. Laudun

Document Type	:	Latin Dissertation
Language of Document	:	English
Record Number	:	54074
Doc. No	:	TL24028
Call number	:	‭3220072‬
Main Entry	:	James M. Reitter
Title & Author	:	Modern dragons: The crocodilian in the Western mind\ James M. Reitter
College	:	University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Date	:	2006
Degree	:	Ph.D.
student score	:	2006
Page No	:	240
Abstract	:	The crocodilian (crocodiles and alligators) has been a steady presence throughout much of Western culture. Dating back to the ancient civilizations of Babylon and Egypt, the crocodilian has been a significant construct in myth, literature, science, art, and film. This is because in certain aspects of culture, humanity needs a comparative figure by which to understand what it means to be human. The crocodilian fulfills this role by acting as a paradigm for what is monstrous and essentially non-human: the reptilian Other. However, the crocodilian also embodies a psychological primitive side of the Self, one that we cannot ignore. The R-complex (or, reptilian brain) is a physiological and cultural necessity, and our portrayal of the crocodilian epitomizes this. Evidence of the crocodilian acting as a foundational element from which humanity grows is seen in the fact that the Western culture's understanding of the reptilian does not change, despite a fundamental shift in the comprehension of the natural order due to the Scientific Revolution. The crocodilian remains beside us as a pre-historic and pre-human Other: a mythic, alien ancestor that helps articulate how we see ourselves.
Subject	:	Communication and the arts; Social sciences; Language, literature and linguistics; Crocodilian; Myth; Reptilian brain; Western culture; Folklore; Literature; Motion pictures; 0900:Motion pictures; 0401:Literature; 0358:Folklore
Added Entry	:	J. Laudun
Added Entry	:	University of Louisiana at Lafayette