English-Lang Arts Standard 3.0
Literary response and Analysis
•3.6 Analyze the
ways in which
authors…use
archetypes…
DENOTATION (basic definition)
•“An archetype is a
pattern from which
copies can be
made.”
Excerpted from Archetypeshttp://www.readprint.com/article-3
archetype
• “A pattern or model of action
(e.g., mourning the dead), a character
type (e.g., a rebellious youth) or an
image (e.g., paradise as a garden) that
recurs consistently enough in
life and literature to be
considered universal.”
– From Absurd to Zeitgeist
Universal
•“Archetypes are
repeated patterns
that recur in the
literature of every
age and culture.”
http://www.msheidecker.com/AP_handouts/archetypesLiterature.pdf
Universal
• “These archetypes can be
found all over the world and
throughout history. The
manifestation of the idea
may be different, but the
idea itself is the same.”
http://www.msheidecker.com/AP_handouts/archetypesLiterature.pdf
Two types of archetypes
1. Stereotype – a generic,
oversimplified personality type
–When people think of Manhattan
Beach they often think about the
stereotypical (stereotype of the)
“surfer dude.”
Two types of archetypes
2. Epitome – idealized version;
the “perfect example” example
of something
–He is the epitome of the scholarathlete. (noun)
–Her home epitomized elegance
and warmth. (verb to epitomize)
Archetypes in literature
• Plot patterns and character
types that occur frequently in
literature, myth, religion or folklore.
• A “type” of story or character
we recognize and see used
over and over in different stories.
Examples of character archetypes
• the Everyman (represents all
“regular” people)
• the perfect mother/ bad mother
• the abusive father/ perfect
father
• the mother figure/father figure
• the wise old man (often serves
as a mentor to a neophyte)
• the "eternal boy" (guy who
won’t grow up)
• the “fallen woman” with a heart
of gold
• the artist-scientist
• the kid genius
• the hermit
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the wanderer
the magician
the devil (in his many forms)
the fool
the fallen mentor
the good king or queen
the medicine
man/woman/shaman
the hunter
the strongman
the judge
the sacred messenger
the career man/woman
Example of Character Archetype
•Mother Figure
Mother figure (“An older woman,
often one in a position of power or
influence, who elicits the emotions
usually reserved for a mother.”)
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mother+figures
Example of Character Archetype
•Hero
–willing
–unlikely
–reluctant
Classic
(willing)
hero
Unlikely hero
Classic (willing) hero
Reluctant or unlikely hero
Other archetypes that tend to be
used as heroes
• the honest thief
• the lovable rogue
• the outlaw
• the humbled hero
• the nerd
• the prodigy
• the whiz kid
• the repentant traitor
• the rookie
• the bad boy
• the chosen one
• the orphaned hero
• the haunted hero
• the born loser
• the fall guy
• the contender
• the loose cannon
• the wise old man
Plot (Action) Archetypes
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a journey (modern version: the road trip)
a quest
the rite of passage or initiation
a coming of age experience
sleep/dream experiences
sacrifices or sacrificial rites
transformation
death and rebirth/return to life
OTHERS?
Coming of Age Story
• Stock plot (archetypal pattern of action)
• Generally recounts one incident or a
closely related series of incidents that
cause an adolescent to gain a new
level of maturity.
• Adolescent begins to move
emotionally, socially, and cognitively
from childhood into adulthood.
Examples of Plot Archetypes
• A downtrodden individual struggles to find purpose in life
or identity (man vs. self). He/she finds a mentor who helps
straighten out his/her life. Both mentor and downtrodden
individual grow from experience.
• Boy and girl hate each other (man vs. man). Boy and girl
are thrown into circumstances that require them to work
together to overcome an obstacle. Boy and girl grow to
respect one another. Boy and girl fall in love and live
“happily ever after.”
• Common man’s family faces a hardship or injustice.
Common man must fight an unfair “system” (man vs.
society) to get what they need and gains respect from
others.
Classic Setting Archetypes
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gardens
forests
caves and tunnels
mountains and peaks
water: river/sea/fountain
islands
towers
the spirit world
the underworld
the moon or other world
Modern Setting Archetypes
Setting drives theme/plot
• suburbia (represents “the good life” or “conformity”?)
• impersonal giant corporate buildings
– represents man vs. society or “make it in the big time”
• inner city neighborhoods
– represents the struggle against violence, poverty, gangs,
drugs, oppression (either successful or unsuccessful)
• small town (represents ideal closeness of community or lack of
opportunity and closed mindedness?)
• rural setting (farm, ranch—represents purer, simpler life)
• the metropolis/big city (as ideal or as a place where people are
just one of the masses? man vs. self: small town or big city?)
HOMEWORK
•
•
Bring in at least TWO pictures that
represent archetypes (character, plot or
setting).
ON THE FRONT label it as follows:
1. Identify who/what it is and what it is from.
2. Identify the archetype category (character,
plot, setting)
3. Identify the specific archetype type.
4. Explain how that archetype fits that type.
• Yoda from Star Wars
• Character archetype
• Wise old man and mentor
• Yoda is a Jedi Master and mentor to Luke
Skywalker.
• Star Wars and the relationship between Luke Skywalker and Yoda
• Plot archetype
• A quest, a coming of age, and/or a transformation
• LUKE SKYWALKER is the downtrodden individual struggling to find
purpose in life or identity (man vs. self). He/she finds a mentor
(YODA) who helps him find direction and purpose in life and meet
his full potential. Both Luke and Yoda grow and change from the
experience.
Primordial (Jung)
• “We, as individuals, have
these archetypal images
ingrained in our
understanding even
before we are born.”
http://www.msheidecker.com/AP_handouts/archetypesLiterature.pdf
From http://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/~emchen/CLit/study_criticism.htm
Archetypal Criticism
Archetypal criticism depends heavily on symbols and patterns operating on a universal scale.
It is based on Carl Gustav Jung’s (1875-1961) psychological theory. Jung believed in a
collective unconscious that lay deep within all of us and contained the “cumulative
knowledge, experiences, and images of the entire human race” (Bressler, 1994, p. 92).
Jung identified certain archetypes, which are simply repeated patterns and images of
human experience found in literature, such as the changing seasons; the cycle of birth, death,
rebirth; the hero and the heroic quest; the beautiful temptress.
The basis of archetypal criticism is that all literature consists of variations on a great
mythic cycle within the following pattern:
1. The hero begins life in a paradise (such as a garden)
2. The hero is displaced from paradise (alienation)
3. The hero endures time of trial and tribulation, usually a wandering (a journey)
4. The hero achieves self-discovery as a result of the struggles on that journey
5. The hero returns to paradise (either the original or a new and improved one)
The journey motif is very common in children’s stories and usually takes one of the two forms:
1. The linear journey: The hero moves away from home, encounters adventures, and finds a
new home better than the first.
2. The circular journey: The hero moves away from home, encounters adventures, and
returns home a better person.
Strength: It allows us to see the larger patterns of literature
Limitation: It tends to ignore the individual contributions of the author and the specific cultural
and societal influences.