Text of Archetype PPT (If you cannot open it)

[Mrs. O]

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DEFINITION

“A universally recognizable element . . . that recurs across all
literature and life (Latrobe 13). Psychologist Carl Jung called these
elements a kind of “collective unconscious” of the human race,
prototypes rather than something gained from experience. The word is
derived from the Greek: arche, original, and typos, form or model;
thus, original model (Latrobe 13).

An archetype is the first real example or prototype of something (as
the Model T is the prototype of the modern automobile). In this sense
an archetype can be considered the ideal model, the supreme type or
the perfect image of something (Brunel 111-112, 114).

A key to understanding folk literature is to understand archetypes.
“An archetype is to the psyche what an instinct is to the
body. . . . . Archetypes are the psychic instincts of the human
species.” (Edinger as quoted in Knapp 10). Archetypes are universal
in human beings. Archetypes result in a deep emotional response for
readers.

“Archetypes are repeated patterns that recur in the literature of
every age” (Sloan 48).


CHARACTER ARCHETYPES:

THE HERO—mother is sometimes a virgin, circumstances of birth are
unusual, some attempt is made at birth to kill him; raised by foster
parents, returns to his kingdom to right wrongs, marries a princess,
becomes king, meets a mysterious death, body is burned rather than
buried

YOUNG MAN FROM THE PROVINCES—hero is taken away as a young man and
raised by strangers; when he returns home, he can view problems
objectively and can solve them easier

THE INITIATE—young heroes or heroines who go through training; usually
innocent and wear white

MENTOR—teacher or counselor to the initiate; often are father or
mother figures to the hero or heroine

FATHER-SON CONFLICT—father and son are separated and do not meet until
the son is an adult; often the mentor is loved and respected more

FRIENDLY BEAST—a beast on the side of the hero shows that nature sides
most often with the forces of good

DEVIL FIGURE—evil incarnate; offers worldly goods, fame, or knowledge
to the hero in exchange for possession of the soul

EVIL FIGURE WITH GOOD HEART—redeemable evil figure saved by the
nobility or love of the hero.

SCAPEGOAT—animal or human who is unjustly held responsible for others’
sins; sacrificed but they often become more powerful force dead than
alive

OUTCAST—figure banished from a social group for some crime against his
fellow man (could be falsely accused of a crime or could choose to
banish himself from guilt)

EARTHMOTHER—offers spiritual and emotional nourishment to those she
meets; shown in earth colors and has large breasts and hips symbolic
of her childbearing capabilities

TEMPTRESS—sensuous beauty; brings about the hero’s downfall because he
is physically attracted to her

CREATURE OF NIGHTMARE—animal or creature disfigured or mutated;
monsters who are the antagonists in the story



SITUATIONAL ARCHETYPES:

THE QUEST—search for someone or some object, which when it is found
and brought back will restore life to a wasted land, the desolation of
which is shown by a leader’s illness and disability

THE TASK—to save the kingdom, to win the fair lady, to identify
himself so that he may assume his rightful position, the hero must
perform some nearly superhuman deed.

THE INITIATION—this usually takes the form of an initiation into adult
life. The adolescent comes into his/her maturity with new awareness
and problems along with a new hope for the community. This awakening
is often the climax of the story.

THE JOURNEY—the hero goes in search of some truth or information to
restore life to the kingdom; he must descend into a real or
psychological hell and is forced to discover the blackest truths quite
often concerning his faults; once the hero is at his lowest point, he
must accept personal responsibility to return to the world of the
living; this could also appear as a group of isolated people (trapped
on a boat, bus, island) to represent society

THE FALL—describes a descent from a higher to a lower state of being.
The experience involves a defilement and/or a loss of innocence and
bliss. The fall is often accompanied by expulsion from a kind of
paradise as a penalty for disobedience and moral transgression.

DEATH AND REBIRTH—grows out of a parallel between the cycle of nature
and the cycle of life. Thus, morning and springtime represent birth,
youth, or rebirth; evening and winter suggest old age or death.

NATURE VS. MECHANISTIC WORLD—Nature is good while technology and
society are often evil.

BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL—Obviously the battle between two primal
forces. Mankind shows eternal optimism in the continual portrayal of
good triumphing over evil despite great odds.

THE UNHEALABLE WOUND—The wound is either physical or psychological and
cannot be healed fully. This wound also indicates a loss of innocence.
These wounds always ache and drive the sufferer to desperate measures.

THE RITUAL—The actual ceremonies the initiate experiences that will
mark his rite of passage into another state (weddings, funerals)



SYMBOLIC ARCHETYPES:

LIGHT VS. DARKNESS—light suggests hope, renewal, or intellectual
illumination; darkness suggests the unknown, ignorance, or despair.

WATER VS. DESERT—water is necessary to life and growth and so it
appears as a birth or rebirth symbol; the appearance of rain in a work
can suggest spiritual birth or rebirth; characters who live in the
desert are often “dead” to morals or the “good side”

HEAVEN VS. HELL—gods live in the skies or mountaintops; evil forces
live in the bowels of the earth


MAGIC WEAPON—some object used to fight the forces of evil that has
magical properties




Works Cited

Brunel, Pierre. Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes and Archetypes.
New York: Routledge, 1992.

Franz, Marie-Louise von. Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales.
Toronto: Inner City, 1997.

Herz, Sarah K., and Donald R. Gallo. From Hinton to Hamlet: Building
Bridges Between Young Adult Literature and the Classics. 2nd ed.
Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2005.

Holman, C. Hugh, and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. 6th
ed. New York: Macmillan, 1992.

Johnson, Terry D., and Daphne R. Louis. Bringing It All Together.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1990.

Knapp, Bettina L. French Fairy Tales: A Jungian Approach. Albany:
State U. of New York: 2003.

Latrobe, Kathy H., Carolyn S. Brodie, and Maureen White. The
Children’s Literature Dictionary. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2002.

Sibley, www.mnstate.edu/sibley/EECE 441Archetypes in Literature.doc

Sloan, Glenna Davis. The Child as Critic. 3rd ed. New York:
Teachers College, 1991.