Northrop Frye: Liberal humanism and the critique of ideology

Despite Northrop Frye's expressed desire to contribute to the discussion, w ith a very broad constituency of educated citizens, of fundamental socio-po litical issues such as societal cohesion amid cultural diversity, the valid ation of structures of power and the idea of progress, his reflections have received scant attention from social scientists. After briefly illustrating some of Frye's political concerns and insights, this essay located in his taxonomy of verbal structures, deployed most impo rtantly in Words with Power (1990), the basis for an incisive critique of m odalities of political discourse. It concentrates specifically on his disti nction between the divisive and iniquitous rhetoric of ideology, expressive of the human urge of domination and advantage, and the inclusive and unify ing language of myth, expressive of what Frye calls "primary concerns."