Mythos and logos in Max Frisch's Homo faber

Abstract

Max Frisch's novel Homo faber appears at first glance to be a devastating critique of Walter Faber's technological world view and an affirmation of Hanna Piper's artistic or mythological standpoint. The work has usually been taken as Frisch's pro-Mythos contribution to the Mythos vs. Logos controversy. There are, however, no credible proponents of either viewpoint in the novel, nor is the handling of myth in the work any less ironic than that of technology. Homo faber is best understood primarily as a working-out of Frisch's concern with 11 Bi 1 dni sse, 11 or i nte 11 ectua 1 prejudices. Mythos and Logos are to be taken as examples of these prejudices. The thesis examines the treatment of both concepts, as well as the language of the novel in an attempt to demonstrate how such concepts appear to simplify the individual's dealings with life while actually standing in the way of a meaningful interaction with reality. Homo faber is not a discussion of the relative merits of Mythos and Logos, but rather a demonstration that the two only acquire genuine meaning when unified in a higher understanding which includes, but also transcends their separateness.