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Archetypes

Archetypes. The History and Theory Behind Archetypes and How They Impact the Study of Literature. Carl Gustav Jung. Jung was born in Switzerland in 1875. His father and eight uncles were all clegymen, and Jung felt pressure to become a minister.

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Archetypes

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  1. Archetypes The History and Theory Behind Archetypes and How They Impact the Study of Literature.

  2. Carl Gustav Jung • Jung was born in Switzerland in 1875. • His father and eight uncles were all clegymen, and Jung felt pressure to become a minister. • Jung struggled to explain God and human existence within the Christian faith, but was not satisfied with the answers religion offered him.

  3. Carl Gustav Jung • Jung became interested in philosophy and psychology, and decided to attend medical school. • In 1900 he joined the staff of a mental hospital in Zurich, where his work gained him an international reputation. • In 1907 Jung met Sigmund Freud—the inventor of psychoanalysis.

  4. Carl Gustav Jung • For five years the two worked closely together. • Eventually, however, Jung became critical of Freud’s approach, and the two parted ways. • Jung spent the remainder of his life studying his own and his patients’ unconscious material, analysing the myths and symbols of diverse cultures. • Jung died in Switzerland 1961.

  5. The Jungian View • Jung believed the human psyche–the sum of conscious and unconscious mental activity– to have a real and discernible structure. • He divided the psyche into four distinct parts…

  6. The Four Parts of the Human Psyche – According to Carl Jung 1. Consciousness: The thoughts and actions under the control of the will. 2. Preconscious: Underlies the consciousness and refers to the mental faculties and memories which can be readily summoned into consciousness. 3. Personal unconscious: Also underlies the consciousness as a vast reservoir of individual memories (perceptions, experiences, and repressed desires)

  7. The Four Parts of the Human Psyche – According to Carl Jung 4. The Collective Unconscious: Buried deep in the human psyche! Includes the instinctive patterns of thought and human behaviour that millenia of human experience have shaped into what we now recognize as emotions and values. These primordial images cannot be called up into consciousness: they can ONLY be examined in symbolic form, personalized as men or women, or as images projected by our minds on to the outside world.

  8. The Collective Unconscious: • Jung called these primordial symbols archetypes… Arche = original / the first Type = model / stamp …and believed them to be the common inheritance of all men and women. • Archetypes, therefore, were formed by repeated experiences in the lives of our ancestors and inherited in the “collective consciousness” of the human race. • They are expressed in myths, religion, dreams, fantasies, as well as literature

  9. THE FLOOD Archetype • The flood is a NATURAL DISASTER believed to be brought about by the “sins” or wrong-doings of humanity. In the process of inventing new evils and discovering death, humans slid so far away from their original selves that the gods thought annihilation would be more effective than salvation.

  10. THE FLOOD Archetype • The Flood represents justice: - what goes around comes around. • for every action there is a reaction. • There are consequences to our decisions and actions.

  11. THE FLOOD Archetype • However, The Flood is not simply a disaster scenario. Humans are encouraged to take social and personal responsibility for themselves and their community: • Examples: disease, plague, nuclear disasters, chemical warfare, biological disasters, bankruptcy, suicide….

  12. THE FLOOD Archetype • The Flood is intended in part to make us ask questions such as, “What type of life should I lead?” • The Flood archetype follows a pattern: doomsday, death, and rebirth. • Examples: Gotham City in Batman. The Real World in The Matrix. Titanic. Noah.

  13. THE GOLDEN AGE Archetype • The process for The Golden Age Archetype is as follows: • Gods create a Golden Age. • Humans lose this Golden Age by sinning. • Humans try to regain The Golden Age.

  14. THE GOLDEN AGE Archetype • Humans desire to regain the ideal world which was lost, to reclaim the sense of identity they feel they once had, to rebuild (through imagination) The Golden Age. • They seek to return humankind to a community of peace, harmony, and love, the way it once was.

  15. THE GOLDEN AGE Archetype • The Golden Age is the high point of a life cycle, the personal summer of one’s life. • In nature, in the summer season, this is the time when all things are in full growth.

  16. THE GOLDEN AGE Archetype • Because The Golden Age is the high point of life, these concepts are associated with it: • Civilization • The happy ending • Justice • Return • Success • Reward • Rebirth • Growth • Fulfilment

  17. THE LOSS OF INNOCENCE Archetype • The Loss of innocence is specifically a loss, death, crime, war, sex, disease, or sacrifice which leads to an identity crisis, an experience that calls for a redefinition of self.

  18. THE LOSS OF INNOCENCE Archetype • Because experiencing evil, sorrow, or harsh reality is unavoidable and part of growing up socially, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually, so too is the loss of innocence. • Loss of innocence and the onset of experience go hand in hand.

  19. THE LOSS OF INNOCENCE Archetype • For instance, a youth endures rituals and responsibilities to emerge as an adult, fallen from innocence. • The fall may be precipitated by a particular self-centered characteristic, such as: • Pride • Curiosity • Ambition • Greed • Gluttony

  20. THE LOSS OF INNOCENCE Archetype • This archetype triggers a redefinition of self and personal values. • Previously held beliefs may change • Going through experiences deepens, widens, and enhances our view of life. • This transformation may lead to wisdom or increased understanding.

  21. THE METAMORPHOSIS Archetype • The metamorphosis archetype describes a changing (usually slowly) from one thing to another. • Stories of metamorphosis humanize nature and harmonize humans with their environment. • The outward form does not necessarily reveal the inner realities.

  22. THE METAMORPHOSIS Archetype • The metamorphosis archetype may show our attempt to make a human home in a world that sometimes appears cruel and indifferent. • Masters of the machine, we can use technology to change what was once controlled by nature, but in doing so we bear the burden of directing metamorphosis.

  23. THE METAMORPHOSIS Archetype • In other words: • “Who will we become?” • What will we make of our society?

  24. THE GOD/GODDESS-TEACHER Archetype • This archetype provides humans with information and inspiration to approximate the state of the gods. • The God/Goddess-Teacher figure acts as an intermediary, providing a model of human behaviour, pointing out what the gods expect, reward, and condemn.

  25. THE GOD/GODDESS-TEACHER Archetype • The God/Goddess-Teacher is a mediator, lover of humankind and perhaps sacrificial figure—and intermediate between the “angry gods” and human nature. • This archetype may take the form of an animal, a priest, an oracle, a wizard, a visionary, etc.

  26. THE GOD/GODDESS-TEACHER Archetype • The figure will know the past, advise on the present, and point humans toward a worthwhile future • The God/Goddess Teacher will provide a sense of social and community solidarity, as well as personal self-image and identity

  27. THE GOD/GODDESS-TEACHER Archetype • Political/Historical examples: • Jesus Christ • Gandhi • Abraham Lincoln • Socrates • Karl Marx • Martin Luther King Jr. • Malcolm X • Ovide Mercredi

  28. THE GOD/GODDESS-TEACHER Archetype • Athletic Examples: • Terry Fox • Rick Hansen • Jackie Robinson • Jim Abbott

  29. THE GOD/GODDESS-TEACHER Archetype • Musician Examples: • Bob Dylan • John Lennon • Bruce Springsteen • Louis Armstrong • Aretha Franklin • Bob Marley • Billie Holiday • Ella Fitzgerald

  30. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype • The Quest Archetype is a journey towards a goal, whether consciously or unconsciously, along a path. • This archetype represents the search for something. • It includes adventures, tasks and obstacles, and ultimately leads to a maturity and understanding.

  31. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype • The purpose of the journey may be to regain the Golden Age which has been lost or corrupted. • This journey can exist on several levels: • A physical level • An intellectual level • A psychological level • A spiritual level

  32. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype • If the quest occurs at an exterior level, it is a search, a task, or a test of physical endurance. • If the quest occurs at an interior level, it is a change, a self-realization, or maturation.

  33. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype • Although critics use different language to describe the stages of the quest, here is a typical paradigm…

  34. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype • The Call to Adventure: initial curiosity, intuitive voice…external task of assignment. • Preparation: ritual, purification, etc.

  35. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype • Tests and Trials: obstacles and hardships, learning by experience, life lessons, gaining knowledge and wisdom NOTE: The hero(ine) is often assisted by a ‘magical helper at this stage’. • Supreme Ordeal: triumph/victory in which the goal has been realized. The victory may include a magical transformation

  36. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype 5. Return: The Sharing of knowledge 6. Reward: This can be on a variety of levels (material, spiritual, etc.)

  37. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype • Just as the journey can be said to have stages, so too the hero(ine) can be said to progress through different archetypal stages of figures. This alternate description of the quest can complement and/or replace the ‘Stages of the Quest’.

  38. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype • The Stages of The Hero(ine): • The Innocent: lives in the unfallen world, The Golden Age. • The Orphan: abandons/ is abandoned by The Golden Age; needs safety. • The Wanderer: searching, fleeing • The Warrior: confronts ‘the dragon’

  39. THE QUEST/HERO(INE) Archetype • The Stages of The Hero(ine): 5. The Martyr: Sacrifices to save others 6. The Magician: Returns, unites, is authentic.

  40. Name That Archetype! • You have now been introduced to six different archetypes. See how many you can remember just by looking at these pictures…

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