Chapter 52 in Mumbo Jumbo
Chapters 52 explains the back
story of Jes Grew and why it exists. It starts with a story that happened
centuries ago with the origin of Osiris, the god of the deceased, and how he
helped foster Jes Grew in Egypt. Then this chapter shows Moses trying to mimic
the music that is played with Jes Grew; however, he fails miserably. Then these
texts are passed onto the Knights Templar who use the text to their advantage. After
reading these original stories it's hard to tell whether or not this is
History, Fiction, or Mythology. This Blog article will break down the story and
what I think it should be labeled as.
The story of Osiris is truly an
Egyptian myth; however, Reed modifies it. Instead of bringing dance and music
(Jes Grew), he brought law, order, and civilization. Seth, his brother, was
indeed jealous of his brother's success and therefore had him killed. However,
in Mumbo Jumbo, Seth banishes Osiris and later challenges the strength of his
magic. This challenge results in Osiris' death. Both Mumbo Jumbo and the Myth
say that Osiris had a child named Horus. Mumbo Jumbo added Jes Grew, the
supposed text that is the origin of Jes Grew, and the extension of this myth.
Soon after Osiris' story, Moses
becomes obsessed with this fictional text and desires to learn the music that
it contained. He consults a man named Jethro to teach him these songs which, in
Mumbo Jumbo, he ultimately takes advantage of Jethro's kindness. Although these
events and characters may seem fictional, Moses and Jethro were two real people
in the Bible except in the bible, Moses treats Jethro with respect and kindness
and there was no mention of Jes Grew.
Then once Moses' story ends,
Reed introduces the Knights Templar and how they used the book for their own
gain. Again, similar to the other stories, the Knights Templar was a real
organization that served as the military for the Church centuries ago. However,
in history, there is no mention of the supposed texts the knights use.
We see this common trend where
Reed takes this historical story or myth and adds this fictional text to the
story changing the details to ensure the train of events are suitable to Mumbo
Jumbo's plot. This type of storytelling almost reminds me of Ragtime in a sense
that Doctorow would name historical characters and write fictional events that
happen to them all to ensure the plot moves forward. Except the difference
between Doctorow and Reed is when these historical fiction-like stories take
place. Doctorow has the events take place during the book while Reed has these
stories supposedly happen centuries ago throughout time.
Overall, I would classify Reed's first two stories in Chapter 52 as fictional mythology, and then the third story as historical fiction; however, this is a subjective opinion.
Nice post, Deven! I like how you used the events of chapter 52 and connected/compared them to their actual historical counterparts. Chapter 52 of Mumbo Jumbo was definitely one of the more fuzzier chapters for me, and this analysis of it helps clear up some of that confusion through revelation of Reed's storytelling intentions.
ReplyDeleteNice job Deven! This is an interesting take on a confusing chapter, but it helps breakdown Reed's storytelling. I liked how you used what happened in chapter 52 and relate them to actual historic events, which helps clear up confusion one may have while reading.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Deven. I like your distinction of fictional mythology and historical fiction, using examples such as Doctorow to back up your claims. Chapter 52 was definitely a difficult chapter to read, much less understand, so this separation of fact and myth is very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI liked this post a lot, I appreciated the context it provided! I was familiar with the story of Moses but not as much the Egyptian mythology. I also liked how you finished with your classification of the different stories.
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