Language is well-established as an ever-changing and evolving entity, with the meaning of words often being changed according to what is taking place within society at the time. In this same way, locations and their meanings change according to cultural associations, as these concepts, too, are linked to specific cultural intentions and memories. Thus, there is often an unspoken element of significance in stories of other cultures which are lost in their translation to English. In this paper, I examine a case study in ancient mythologies and how they are negotiated by Rick Riordan’s works, specifically the methods by which the ideas of the myths are renegotiated for the purposes of modern storytelling. These are examined through a lens of Chronotopes and their applications to both language and literature, with special emphasis upon the implied cultural meanings of certain acts, beliefs, and, locations in the myths and legends upon which the newer texts are based. I conclude that the stories are generally modified so as to indicate a depth of character development and contemporary quality which is more suited to a modern novel than an ancient myth, with certain elements of the original stripped away or changed in concept so as to make motivations and associations more in line with modern mythologies, ideologies, internationality, and narrative structure. This attempt at the creation of a conceptual bridge may serve to better enable educators and readers as to why aspects of stories are often different when translated or not considered within their original contexts.
About the presenterBenjamin David Bishop
TESOL/Linguistics dual masters candidate at Ball State University; concentrations in sociolinguistics and literature. Interests in Literary theory, data analysis, and big history. I am from the state of Tennessee in the United States, and my research interests are varied and deep.