The document discusses archetypes in literature. It defines archetypes as recurring symbols or motifs that represent universal human experiences. Some examples of common archetypes provided include the hero, child, and wise old man. The document outlines how archetypes can apply to characters, plots, images, and ideas. It discusses scholars like Jung who saw archetypes originating from a collective unconscious. Examples are given of archetypes found across different literary works and genres.
2. - Greek word for “origin” and
“model”
- refers to it as the first form for
whatever else comes after it
3. - It refers to a general character, trait
or structure commonly held in a
certain group or class ; it is an
embodiment or example , a model
with ideal features
- It may be figure, representation, or
symbol
4. - As a literary device, an
archetype is a reoccurring
symbol or motif throughout
literature that represents
universal patterns of human
nature.
5. - Narratology is the literary theory
that examines the ways that stories
are structured and what
characteristics stories have in
common and what makes them
different from one another.
6. - A form of Structuralism that focuses
on the structure of stories. Identifies 31
actions that a story can contain and
claims all stories pick from this list.
- Also focuses on the specific character
types that are repeated within all
stories—hero, villain, trickster,
orphan, mentor etc.
7. - Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung argued
that the root of an archetype is in the
“collective unconscious” of mankind.
8. - refers to experiences shared by a race
or culture
- includes love, religion, death, birth,
life, struggle, survival etc.
9. Joseph Campbell took Jung’s ideas and
applied them to world mythologies. In A
Hero with a Thousand Faces, among
other works, he refined the concept of
hero and the hero’s journey— George
Lucas used Campbell’s writings to
formulate the Star Wars saga.
10. Recognizing archetypal patterns in
literature brings patterns we all
unconsciously respond to in similar
ways to a conscious level.
11. - Birth
- Rebirth
- Death
- Power
- Magic
- Unity
- The hero
- The child
- God
- The demon
- The old
wise man
- The earth
mother
- The animal
12. Archetype can be applied to:
- image
- theme
- symbol
- idea
- character type
- plot pattern
13. Archetypes can be expressed in:
- myths
- dreams
- literature
- religions
- fantasies
- folklores
17. Vladimir Propp
- Extended the Russian
formalist approach to
narratology (the study of
narrative structure)
- Develop a list of 31
functions or building
blocks, that he found
present within 100
Russian Folktales that
18. Carl Jung
Carl Jung understood
archetypes as universal,
archaic patterns and
images that derive from
the collective unconscious
and are the psychic
counterpart of instinct.
19. Archetypal criticism is concerned with
the way cycles and reiterating patterns of
tradition, culture, inborn images, and
beliefs affect literary works. It operates
with the idea that certain symbols
represent the same ideas no matter the
time or place.
20. Authors focus on symbols to utilize in
literary works in order to strike readers’
unconscious. Such symbols recur often
enough in literature to be recognizable as
an element of one’s literary experience as
a whole it also deals with symbolism of
nature and the cosmos. There is
universality in literature, anthropology,
21. The use of archetypical characters and
situations gives a literary work a
universal acceptance, as readers identify
the characters and situations in their
social and cultural context. By using
common archetype, the writers attempt to
impart realism to their works, as the
situations and characters are drawn from
the experiences of the world.
22. Anthropological and psychological
studies of the late 19th and early 20th
century sparked the beginning of this
criticism. Information provided from
the findings of the past cultures
influences many prominent writers.
23. Also myths from the Greek and
Roman eras were thought of as
profound and as a result the desire to
incorporate such ideas in writing was
instigated. Archetypal Criticism came
into prominence in the 1930’s and
1940’s, continued to flourish in 1950’s
and 1960’s.
24. Archetypal criticism focuses on certain
symbols and their meanings. Almost all
literature is written to convey events
which mean something. Archetypal
criticism looks for these meanings, as well
as what the symbols in the story stand for.
25. It acts as a powerful tool in teaching and in
expressing universal feelings, beliefs, and
ideas. Very closely linked with
psychological theories and criticism.
Explains why literature touches deep inside
the heart of the reader.
26. Many critics are leery of the actual value of
the archetypal approach; they seem to
think it is reductionistic, formulaic. It
generally excludes other sources or
criticisms. Others believe that literary
individuality is ignored with so much
emphasis on cycles and patterns. Not all
literature contains symbolism; some is
simply written for enjoyment.
27. Some critics argue the theory is
unnecessary because archetypal
approaches to literature can also be
covered in psychology, anthropology,
comparative religion, and other fields.
Symbols can elicit multiple meanings; one
might interpret a literary work that is
entirely different from the author’s
intentions. This criticism has been used less
28. Hero: Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma
Gandhi
Rebel: Che Guevara, William Wallace
Ruler: Napoleon, Genghis Khan
Healer: Florence Nightingale, Mother
Teresa
29. Adventurer: Christopher Columbus,
Marco Polo
Innocent: Anne Frank, Malala Musafzai
Genius: Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci
Jester: Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin
Outlaw: Jesse James, Butch Cassidy
31. Battle of Good and Evil - Good
ultimately triumphs
• Death and Rebirth - Shows the circle
of life
• Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity
- A character will have intuition and
knowledge that is better than those in
charge
32. • The Initiation - A character matures
and takes responsibility
• The Journey - The hero confronts
trials along the way
• The Magic Weapon - The hero has the
ability to use this to be successful in
the quest or to prove he or she is the
chosen one
33. • Nature vs. Mechanistic World - This
has nature as being good and
technology as bad
• The Quest - The search for someone or
something
• The Task - Something that must be
done
34. • The Garden - Symbolizes love and
fertility
• The Forest - Can be a wild place with
dangers and beasts. It can also be a
place to reconnect with nature.
• The River - Water symbolizes life and
the river can show life’s journey or
boundaries.
35. • The Sea - Can be both good and evil,
with dangers and treasures. It can also
show infinity.
• The Island - Symbolizes isolation
• The Mountain - Climbing up can
represent a spiritual journey.
36. • The Wasteland - A place for cleansing
and finding inner strength
• The Tower - Represents worship or
power
• The Small Town - This is where
everyone knows everyone and judges
them, so it represents intolerance.
37. • Light - Hope or renewal
• Dark - Despair or ignorance
• Water - Birth and life
• Haven - Safety
• Wilderness - Danger
• Fire - Knowledge, rebirth
• Ice - Death, ignorance
• Black - Evil, mystery
38. • Green - The earth, growth
• White - Purity, peace, innocence
• Three - Trinity; mind, body, spirit
• Four - Seasons, elements
• Square - Stability
• Circle - Heaven, perfection, eternity
40. • The Bully - Intimidates others
• The Creature of Nightmare - Threatens
the hero’s life
• The Damsel in Distress - The hero rescues
her
• The Devil Figure - Tempts the hero
• Dreamer - Wants to be something else
• The Evil Genius - Seeks revenge and hates
all
41. • Friendly Beast - Assists the hero
• The Hero - Main character who may
fulfill a task or bring justice
• The Initiates - Need training to become
heroes
• Martyr - Willing to die for a cause
• Mentors - Train and counsel the
initiates
42. • The Outcast - Exiled for a crime and
becomes a wanderer
• The Star-Crossed Lovers - The pair
usually meet tragedy
• Survivor - Never gives up and always pulls
through
• The Temptress - A beautiful woman who
seduces the hero
• Tyrant - Wants to be in charge
• Wizard - Has special powers
43.
44.
45. - is one of two major ancient
Greek epic poems attributed
to Homer.
- It is, in part, a sequel to the
Iliad, the other work ascribed
to Homer.
46.
47. In the excerpt from Homer’s epic The Odyssey,
the goddess Calypso addresses Odysseus as he’s
about to set off on his quest. There are many
thousands of stories based on the archetype of
the quest, or journey, and The Odyssey is one of
the most famous. Calypso foreshadows the
difficulties that are present in this archetypal
plot; the reader will know to expect the
challenges that Odysseus later faces both because
of this excerpt and because of the traditional
48.
49. Othello is a tragedy by William
Shakespeare, believed to have
been written in 1603. It is based
on the story Un Capitano Moro by
Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio,
first published in 1565.
50. The play opens with Roderigo, a rich and
dissolute gentleman, complaining to Iago, an
ensign, that Iago has not told him about the
secret marriage between Desdemona, the
daughter of a Senator named Brabantio,
and Othello, a Moorish general in the
Venetian army.
51.
52. Iago is one of the most famous villains in all
of literature, and here we can see a good
example of what makes him villainous. He
is Othello’s closest confidant, and yet he
acknowledges to Roderigo that he will only
“follow [Othello] to serve my turn upon
him.” The villain is often a manipulative
character who can’t be trusted, and here
53.
54. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy
written by William Shakespeare
early in his career about two
young star-crossed lovers whose
deaths ultimately reconcile their
feuding families.
55.
56. William Shakespeare created perhaps
the most famous archetypal lovers in
Romeo and Juliet. Their story is so
well known that the archetypal plot of
star-crossed lovers is named after this
prologue. However, Shakespeare was
certainly not the first person to write a
story about what we now call star-
57. Indeed, his play falls into the tradition of
tragic romances, and was based on a very
similar sixteenth century Italian story. Tragic
romances often concern lovers who are kept
or driven apart by obstacles outside of their
control.
58.
59. The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951
novel by J. D. Salinger. A
controversial novel originally
published for adults, it has since
become popular with adolescent
readers for its themes of teenage
angst and alienation.
60. J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Holden
Caulfield recounts the days following his
expulsion from Pencey Prep, a private school.
After a fight with his roommate, Strad later,
Holden leaves school two days early to explore
New York before returning home, interacting
with teachers, prostitutes, nuns, an old girlfriend,
and his sister along the way. J.D. Salinger's
classic The Catcher in the Rye illustrates a
teenager's dramatic struggle against death and
61.
62. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D.
Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, is noted for
being a rebel. Caulfield calls out “phonies” and
generally has contempt for many of what he
sees as society’s evils. Like Caulfield, rebel
characters often criticize problems in culture.
Some rebels attempt to change the culture, like
the real-life example of Che Guevara, while
others just reject it.
63. Almost all works of literature contain
examples of archetype. This is because
archetypes stem from cultural and
psychological myths that are universal or
nearly so. For example, the plot of a
character going on a quest is found in oral
storytelling traditions and works of literature
from around the world and from all time
64. Thus the “quest” plot is an archetype. Since
almost all types of plots and characters have
been codified into archetypes it is difficult, if
not impossible, to create a story without using
these long established symbols and patterns.
65. By trading in archetypes, authors help the
audience understand what the expectations
are for a certain type of story or character.
The author then doesn’t have to explain as
much, and when the author breaks from the
mold to some degree, that rupture will be all
the more intriguing to the reader.
66. Reference
Reine, M. (2015, May 8). Narratology/Archetypes by malory
reini on Prezi. Retrieved January 22, 2016, from
https://prezi.com/abjkll1agahk/narratologyarchetype
s/
Literary Devices. (2016). Archetype - Examples and
Definition of Archetype. Retrieved January 22, 2016,
from http://literarydevices.net/archetype/
Archetype Examples. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21st, 2016, from
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/archetype-
examples.html
LITERARY DEVICES. (2015). Archetype Examples and
Definition - Literary Devices. Retrieved January 22,