Lévi-Strauss on the Oedipus Myth: A Reconsideration

The first half of the article presents a critique of Lévi-Strauss' well-known analysis of the Oedipus myth. A consideration of Greek beliefs suggests that Lévi-Strauss is incorrect in tying certain events in that myth to the "overvaluation of blood relations" and in asserting that the myth is concerned with the "affirmation/denial of man's autochthonous origins." The second half of the article presents a different structural analysis of the entire Theban Saga, of which the Oedipus myth is but a part. It concludes (1) that Lévi-Strauss is correct in identifying a series of events in the myth which indicate the devaluation of blood relations, but that these events specifically refer to the devaluation of patrilineal kin ties and that the range of events indicating the devaluation of patrilineal ties is broader than his analysis would suggest, and (2) there is another series of repeated events (unmentioned by Lévi-Strauss) which indicates the affirmation of patrilineal kin ties. The final hypothesis— that the opposition between the devaluation/affirmation of patrilineal kin ties underlies the Theban Saga— "makes sense" in terms of Greek history, as the period in which the Olympian myths look their present form is also the period in which the Greeks moved from a society organized along patrilineal kin ties to one organized around allegiance to the polis. [structuralism, Oedipus myth, myth and social structure, Lévi-Strauss, anthropological theory]     

Kinship vis-à-vis Myth Contrasts in Lévi-Strauss' Approaches to Cross-Cultural Comparison

The enormous secondary literature which relates Lévi-Strauss' comparative studies to different schools of thought has failed sufficiently to emphasize the major discontinuity within his own work. This paper characterizes the basic methodological differences in his approaches to "kinship" and to "myth." It then suggests how, by concentrating on the kinship/myth distinction, we might constructively refine various structuralist concepts, such as distinctive feature analysis and the logical foundations of the "elementary" kinship structures. Only by concentrating on the few inconsistencies in Lévi-Strauss' remarkably coherent corpus of work can an adequate critique of his theories of comparison be commenced.     

Ecological Bases of Hormone--Behavior Interactions: The "Emergency Life History Stage"

SYNOPSIS. Superimposed upon seasonal changes in morphology,physiology and behavior, are facultative responses to unpredictableevents known as labile (i.e., short-lived) perturbation factors(LPFs). These responses include behavioral and physiologicalchanges that enhance survival and collectively make up the "emergency"life history stage. There is considerable evidence that glucocorticosteroids,and other hormones in the hypothalamo—pituitary—adrenal(HPA) cascade, initiate and orchestrate the emergency life historystage within minutes to hours. This stage has a number of sub—stagesthat promote survival and avoid potential deleterious effectsof stress that may result from chronically elevated levels ofcirculating glucocorticosteroids over days and weeks. Thesesub—stages may include: redirection of behavior from anormal life history stage to increased foraging, irruptivetypemigration during the day, enhanced restfulness at night, andelevated gluconeogenesis. Once the perturbation passes, glucocorticosteroidsmay also promote recovery. Additional evidence from birds indicatesthat glucocorticosteroid responses to a standardized capture,handling and restraint protocol are modulated both on seasonaland individual levels. Field work reveals that these changesin responsiveness to LPFs have ecological bases, such as reproductivestate, body condition etc., that in turn indicate differenthormonal control mechanisms in the HPA cascade.