A journey to Westworld guided by Eliade and Culianu

David, LT (David, Laura Teodora); David, D (David, Dorin)

This article formulates an analysis different from regular film criticism of the HBO series Westworld. It presents several ideas of two scholars of Religious Studies, and at the same time writers of fiction, Mircea Eliade and loan Petru Culianu, ideas that can be identified in this series, such as the path to the center, the symbolism of the labyrinth, the myth, or the games of mind, along with confirmatory support from the psychological domain. It is in the intention of the article to provide a “guided tour” of Westworld with Eliade and Culianu as “hosts,” considering that it is of great interest to reveal common points that appear in unexpected places (e.g. a TV show that features future, and for sure futuristic, realities) so many years after the authors’ disappearance from this world.

Westworld; Mircea Eliade; loan Petru Culianu; center; game of mind; posttraumatic growth

Full article available here (click to download): Westworld_LD