Ülkem Önal
Bilkent University
English Language and Literature
Conference Abstract
Subject: Youth and Myth
In the 21st century, myths have started to bear a different meanig. The myths have exceeded
their frame of being totally connected with ancient mythical characters and legends. In addition, the
myths in this century are mostly associated with the desires of human beings. The myhological
elements consist of the desires of humanity for the unreachable and the impossible. Eternal youth is
one of these mythological desires of humanity. When the history is examined, it is clearly seen that
youth has been a very attractive and stimulating concept for people for ages. Human beings have
been in pursuit of eternal youth for centuries. Even though, they are aware of the impossibility of
eternal youth, they try to create methods for acquiring perpetual youth. People represent their this
desire in their literature, in their art, in their studies even in their science. Oscar Wilde created the
evil, gothic character Dorian Gray and provided him with eternal youth and beauty in his novel
“The Picture of Dorian Gray.” The scientists of the 21st century have been trying to make
developments in the area of transhumanism which is a theory that will supply human beings with
eternal youth and even with immortality. But why has this dream of humanity never ever come to an
end? This paper will try to explain the meanings that myths have gained. Besides, in the paper the
focus will be on the underlying reasons of this never-ending dream of eternal youth by giving
specific examples from literature, history and, science.