Octavio Paz, the Mythic Dimension

Book excerpt: Octavio Paz: The Mythic Dimension is a study of myth and mythmaking in the eminent Mexican writer's poetry based on an archetypal analysis of the central theme of the dialectic of solitude and communion. The author also attempts to illustrate Paz's mission to redeem the positive values of biblical, classical, pre-Columbian, and oriental mythologies by re-creating and enriching them in new forms and meanings more appropriate to a contemporary world view. Poems are selected from both early and recent collections to illustrate the continuity of Paz's works; quoted passages are in the original Spanish with English translations. In addition to mythological sources, significant contributions of certain literary sources to Paz's thought and poetry are also discussed to demonstrate his place in the modern literary tradition.