An old language for a new world: assessing the epical shift in the popular cultural discourse

Abstract

The post-war period in Europe was a period of contradictions; on one hand, there was disenchantment with greater visions of life and history; while on the other hand, there was a revival of the enchanting mythical worlds in literature and popular culture. The postmodern condition as described by Lyotard was twilight of grand narratives and at the same time it opened up possibilities of a newer narrative to assert itself. The dissolution of the modernist self as well as the construction of a new self that was master of the language games played in an information society happened at the same time. The aim of this article is to look into the fields of popular culture and emerging management discourse that is relying on mythology, narratives and storytelling, to figure out how they are reinventing a lost bardic tradition by using language as an indispensable tool in shaping up individuals and societies. This article argues that in the postmodern age, a new idea of ‘self’ has simultaneously taken shape whose template overlaps with the ‘epical self’, relying on language as an important mode of transformation. This article makes a case for deeper and nuanced understanding of popular cultural elements and usage of language in management literature.