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Archetypes and Heroes: An Introduction

Archetypes and Heroes: An Introduction. Feraco Myth to Science Fiction 14 September 2009. Ar·che·type (n). 1 : the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies : prototype; also : a perfect example

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Archetypes and Heroes: An Introduction

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  1. Archetypes and Heroes: An Introduction Feraco Myth to Science Fiction 14 September 2009

  2. Ar·che·type (n) • 1 : the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies : prototype; also : a perfect example • 2 : an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C. G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual

  3. Locating the Treasure • If I ask you about archetypes, look at: • Images • Themes/Ideas • Symbols • Character Types • Plot Patterns • You can find them in: • Myths/Folklore/Fantasies • Literature • Dreams • Religion

  4. Seven Stories (Booker and Haig) • Tragedy • Hero with a fatal flaw meets tragic end (Macbeth) • Comedy • Not necessary laugh-out-loud, but always with a happy ending, typically of romantic fulfillment (Jane Austen) • Overcoming the Monster • Its psychological appeal is obvious and eternal (“Jaws”) • Voyage and Return • The archetypal structure of personal development through leaving, then returning home (The Odyssey, Alice in Wonderland) • Quest • It is the plot that links a lot of the most popular fiction (The Lord of the Rings) • Rags to Riches • The riches in question can be literal or metaphoric (Cinderella) • Rebirth • A central character suddenly finds a new reason for living (A Christmas Carol)

  5. Haig’s View Every story has been told...Authors are, if you excuse the analogy, like fashion designers dressing and re-dressing a body that will always have two arms and two legs and a head. Shakespeare, for instance, never bothered himself with inventing plots. The story of Hamlet had already been told several times before. Same with King Lear and Macbeth and every other Shakespeare work you can think of. That does not mean a novel or a play or a film can't be truly original. Of course it can. It's just originality doesn't come through plot. It comes from style and voice and the imagination that brings language and characters and settings to life. Personally, I don't get too bothered about whether or not a plot is considered 'original' or 'unoriginal'. All stories are, to some degree, cover versions. It's how you carry these universal plots into the present age that's the challenge for every writer.

  6. Jung’s Archetypal Studies • Recognized that there were universal patterns in all stories and mythologies, regardless of culture or historical period • Hypothesized that part of the human mind contained a collective unconscious shared by all members of the human species – a sort of universal, primal memory • Jung gave rise to Joseph Campbell, whose A Hero With a Thousand Faces refined the original hypotheses, highlighted the patterns we either respond to or seek out (even unconsciously), and helped define the concept of heroism in the modern age

  7. Heroic Archetypes – Twelve to Know • Hero as Warrior • A god-like or impressive individual faces physical challenges and external enemies • Hero as Lover • A pure love motivates the individual to complete the quest • Hero as Scapegoat/Martyr • Hero suffers for the sake of others • Transcendent Hero • Common to tragedy; a fatal flaw brings about his/her downfall, but not before he/she reaches a transforming realization (wisdom)

  8. Heroic Archetypes – Twelve to Know • Romantic/Gothic Hero • Hero with a decidedly darker side • Proto-Feminist Hero • Self-explanatory • Apocalyptic Hero • Faces either the end of society or the end of the world • Anti-hero • Typically prone to failure, blindness, or alienation; sometimes humorous

  9. Heroic Archetypes – Twelve to Know • Defiant Anti-Hero • Opposes societal values, particularly concepts of heroism/goodness/virtue • Unbalanced Hero • Protagonist who has (or pretends to have) mental or emotional deficiencies • The Denied Hero/The Other • A protagonist whose status as an outsider makes heroic action possible • The Superhero • Exaggerates the normal possibilities of man; frequently of divine or supernatural origin; someone who does not quite belong, yet is needed by society

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