Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
San Francisco, myths, American urban legend, city of myth
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department
History
Abstract
Myths illuminate the origins of collective ideas, they provide practical ways for resolving contradictions and conflicts in a society, and they are an impetus for learning and ingenuity. Myths are a powerful unifying force in a community because they bind disparate individuals and generations into one group. An understanding of these commonly held convictions is important because a society’s mythology creates a standard of behavior that dictates and controls the actions of the group. A community’s spatial environment is just one reflection of its mythic beliefs and is a valuable means of further identifying and examining these forces.
Recommended Citation
Norton, Bryan L.
(2014)
"THE MYTH OF THE CITY: SAN FRANCISCO AS AN AMERICAN URBAN LEGEND,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014:
Iss.
1, Article 224.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/224