The Care and Feeding of Archetypes

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The Care and Feeding of Archetypes
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Exploring the Fairy Tale Why Are Fairy Tales So
Popular?

• One particular favorite is the story of Little
  Red Riding Hood.
• This story contains several examples of
  archetypes.

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What Is an Archetype?

• archetype
• Pronunciation 'är-ki-"tIpFunction
  nounEtymology Latin archetypum, from Greek
  archetypon, from neuter of archetypos archetypal,
  from archein typos type
• 1 the original pattern or model of which all
  things of the same type are representations or
  copies PROTOTYPE also a perfect example
• 2 IDEA
• 3 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
• - archetypal /"är-ki-'tI-pl/ also
  archetypical /-'ti-pi-kl/ adjective -
  archetypally /-p-lE/ also
  archetypically /-'ti-pi-k(-)lE/ adverb

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So, What Archetypes Do We See?

• Here are three, for starters
• The monster
• The damsel in distress
• The scary woods

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Archetypes Fall Into Many Categories
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Archetypal Characters

• This category includes the prince, the sidekick,
  the wise old man or woman, the evil stepmother,
  the weird guy with special knowledge, as well as
  the monster and the damsel in distress.
• Can you think of some others?

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Archetypal Settings

• This category includes the castle, the haunted
  house, the weird house, the foreign land, the
  deserted island, as well as the scary woods.
• Can you think of some others?

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Archetypal Plots

• This category includes ones with star-crossed
  lovers, a hero who goes on a journey, a weird guy
  who gets the girl, as well as a little girl lost
  in the woods.
• Can you think of some others?

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Themes Can Also Be Archetypal

• A favorite one of mine is that the desire for
  revenge can be a strong motivation for doing good
  rather than evil.
• Can you think of some more?

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The Hero Journey

• One of the most important archetypes is explored
  by Joseph Campbell in his book, The Hero with a
  Thousand Faces.
• Campbell traces and analyzes all categories of
  archetype.
• According to Campbell, the archetype of hero is
  recognized as the one who completes a hero
  journey. This is how we can identify our heroes.
• The journey is divided into 5 parts.
• We will be analyzing the hero journey of many of
  our main characters.

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Step 1 The Call to Adventure

• The hero experiences an impulse to begin the
  journey.
• Often he or she will meet a helper, who sometimes
  provides a magical charm to help in the journey.

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Step 2 Crossing the Threshold

• The hero passes from the world of safety to the
  world of the unknown, which may be a desert, a
  jungle, or an alien land.
• A shadow presence guards the entrance to this
  land.
• The hero can pass into this land only by
  defeating the shadow presence or by confronting
  death.
• This confrontation may take the form of a real or
  symbolic dismemberment and always ends in the
  transformation of the hero.

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Step 3 The Test

• Once in this land, the hero undergoes several
  difficult experiences, which climax in a Supreme
  Test
• His companions cant help him now. He (or she)
  is in charge.
• The hero who passes gets a reward.

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Step 4 The Reward

• The hero is rewarded with marriage, recognition
  by a god, transformation into a god, or a magic
  elixir.

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Step 5 The Return

• The hero leaves the Shadow Realm with the reward
  and uses it to restore his land.

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Can you plot the hero journey, now, of Little Red
Riding Hood?

• Sometimes its fun to switch it around. Does the
  Wolf have a hero journey? What would that look
  like?
• Can you be a hero and still fail your Supreme
  Test? Can a hero be funny? Can a hero be mean?

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More and More Heroes

• Do you have a hero journey?
• Does Bart Simpson have a hero journey?
• Can you think of some contemporary and historical
  figures who have gone on a hero journey?

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Digging for Archetypes

• Archetypes are all around us.
• My theory is that the more popular a movie or TV
  show is, the more archetypes there are to be
  found.
• Watch a show tonight. See how many archetypes
  you can find.