The Key to All Mythologies Symbol Analysis

The Key to All Mythologies is the name of the work of theological scholarship to which the 45-year-old Rev. Edward Casaubon has dedicated several decades of his life. The grand title of the work highlights its ambitious scope, and when Dorothea first hears about it, she is captivated by the idea that the work will constitute a major contribution to knowledge. However, early on in Dorothea’s marriage to Casaubon it emerges that the project is not as significant as it at first appears. Will Ladislaw informs Dorothea that because Casaubon does not read German, he has not been able to keep up with the latest developments in the field of theology, which means that The Key to All Mythologies is doomed to be outdated and irrelevant. Casaubon dies without finishing the project; he entrusts the notes to Dorothea and asks her to shape them into a finished product, but at this point Dorothea realizes that it will never amount to anything and considers it a “tomb” in which Casaubon has buried her. Like the cottages, The Key to All Mythologies thus symbolizes the failure of unrealized ambitions. However, because of Casaubon’s show of confidence in the work, it also represents the dangers of self-delusion. Casaubon is secretly insecure about the project, but instead of admitting this he becomes secretive and cagey about it. The Key to All Mythologies is seemingly impressive, but ultimately insubstantial.